


About an Archangel.

by Hectatess



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 07:27:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 37,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9311501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hectatess/pseuds/Hectatess
Summary: Why did Gabriel decide to side with humanity during the Apocalypse? And really, is he as dead as we all think he his? What happened to him when Metatron was closing Heaven? And some more...





	1. Chapter 1

Gabriel was wandering restlessly around the hallways of heaven. He should be happy, content being back with his brothers and sisters, but he simply wasn't. Millennia of being on his own had been tough, and he had longed to return to his family, but now he had, he found himself longing for solitude, heck, even the company of humans. Up here, every one was so asture... So stoïc. He'd tried pranking Hannah, but the only chuckle he got, was his own. ' _They are all so busy with that frigging Apocalypse._ ' Gabriel thought bitterly. ' _If only those Winchester-yahoos would just say yes to my brothers... Then it would all just be over._' But then he remembered how desperately Sam had tried to safe Dean, even months after he'd been shot at the Mystery Spot. How Sam had begged him, Gabriel, to please bring his big brother back. He remembered the tears in those eyes, the trembling lower lip, showing him Sam was on the verge of crashing like a ton of rocks. ' _Just like how I begged Dad to bring back Lucifer. And he didn't. That was why I couldn't deny Sam. Not because I got bored with the 'game'. It was because I could do for him what Dad refused to do for me._' Next he remembered how they had cornered him in that warehouse, and Dean had stood there, ever so slightly in front of his little brother. Gabriel smiled. Dean always did that. In effect, he made sure that if anything was going to pounce, he would stand in between Sam and the threat. ' _Just like a big brother should._ ' Gabriel thought. His mind wandered to his own brothers... His big brothers. Lucifer and Michael were always at each other's throats. They had been for eons. Even after Lucifer had been cast out, Michael couldn't bring himself to stop bashing their memories of him. But Gabriel had seen all that had happened between them, and knew Mikey's stubborn attitude had started as many fights as Luci's recalcitrant one. He remembered how angry Mike could get at him, Gabriel, for not quite following protocol, and he also remembered those times Luci had stood before him, like Dean before Sam. Protective, and on his guard. Gabriel felt his heart break all over again. He was so fed up with all of it. The fighting, the 'plans' that apparently were made for everyone and could never change. Angrilly, Gabriel shook out his golden wings and he flew to his quarters.

The slam with which Gabriel, Archangel, Messenger of the Lord, closed his door, shook the skies and several angels looked confused. What was that? Gabriel paced his room, not knowing why he had feelings like these. In the vaults of his mind he could hear the voice of the oldest Winchester clear as a bell. "This isn't about some prizefight between your brothers. This is about you, being to afraid to stand up to your family!" Gabriel also remembered how disappointed Castiël had looked at him. Sure the overtone in those cerulean eyes had been anger, but disappointment had been there too. As if baby brother Castiël had expected more from him. That look, that had hurt. Gabriel sat down in his favorite red leather chair with a huff. He flicked on his tv-set with his grace and made a sucker appear in his mouth. Instead of a regular program, his tv showed life on earth, and Gabriel knew which channel he would be watching. He had done so since January 24th, 1979. Ever since he had picked up on what the Winchesters called 'Angel Radio', that the first true vessel had been born, Gabriel had watched that family. Even though he had left Heaven and went into hiding, he felt he should keep tabs on the world. He had seen the similarities between Dean and Michael and between Sam and Lucifer. Not just the ones he had pointed out to the hunters, that day at the warehouse, but also more subtle ones. There were differences too, of course. The biggest one being that the Winchesters always seemed to be able to get past their differences, to forgive whatever transgression the other had made. And now, now they were joined together in one goal: stop the Apocalypse, while still being themselves. Not giving in to Gabriel's big brothers. And that didn't go down well up here. Michael was pulling all the stops on conniving and scheming to get Dean to say yes.

On the screen, Dean and Sam were sitting at a table, talking. ' _Wait, what? Are they wearing... Scrubs?_ ' Gabriel chuckled. What were those two muttonheads up to now? For a short time, Gabriel entertained himself with watching the brothers hunt a wraith in a mental hospital, but before long his soulsearching began again. The Winchesters were asleep, so Gabriel switched channels a bit, but not really watched any of it. He was reliving every moment he had spent with the boys, as the Trickster, and those few where they had known his true identity as an Archangel. Even though the Winchesters had been a thorn in his side quite a few times, he couldn't just let them be. The very first time they had crossed paths, he had told Dean that he liked him and Sam. And he stood to that. His thoughts kept going in circles like that, until he suddenly found Kali and Mercury together on one channel. That was odd... He turned up the volume to listen in on their conversation.

' _HELLS BELLS!_ ' Gabriel fumed in the safety of his mind. ' _Those IDIOTS!_ ' He had switched the tv off and was pacing his room like a caged tiger. ' _They are all going to get killed, bloody... Every, silly pagan one of them. And the Winchesters too, in the proces._ ' Somehow that last bit irked him tremendously. Not just because that would throw a humongous wrench in the great big 'plan' his Dad had made, but because he thought they didn't deserve such messy endings. Had he become fond of those giants? Oh no....He had. They had gotten under his skin. It seemed that spending eons amongst humans, made you feel things, made you almost human. He would not like to see humanity wiped out, because his brothers couldn't kiss and make up. He just couldn't, after all those centuries living with the species, he simply couldn't. Biting his lower lip, Gabriel started to do some planning of his own.


	2. Apocalypse now

Gabriel felt the Angelblade slide into his abdomen and he saw Lucifer's eyes sparkle with unshed tears. He also saw the exact moment Lucifer decided to end it, nano seconds before he twisted the blade up. ' _So, this is dying... 'S not so bad..._ ' Gabriel thought, just before it all went black.

Gabriel opened his eyes. ' _Wait... What? I'm dead! I don't have eyes to open._' "Hello, Gabriel." A very familiar, very loved voice said. Gabriel whipped his head around. He was lying in his own bed, in his own home. The one he had when he was the Trickster. In the comfy chair next to the bed sat an achingly familiar figure. Gabriel flung himself into the figure's arms. "DAD!!!" Infinitely warm and loving, his Father hugged the Archangel. "Oh Gabe... Gabe, Gabe... How I've missed you all." Gabe cried into his Father's shoulder until his tears were spent. Only then could he compose himself enough to look into his Father's face. He wiped his cheeks dry. "I'm sorry, Dad. I just..." ' _Wait a minute..._ ' "Where have you been then? If you missed us all so, how come you didn't come back? And speaking of coming back... How am I not dead? Luci...." Thinking of that moment hurt, a lot. His big brother, the one who had always defended him against Michael, had rammed that Angelblade right into his stomach. Granted, that could have counted as selfdefence, since Gabe himself had been trying to do the same to Lucifer. But still. Then he remembered the tears in the Morning Star's eyes. And he knew that Lucifer never wanted this.

A hand on his cheek. "Oh Gabe... Luci only did what I asked him to. I wanted you out, for now. I have other plans for you and a few others. As for not being dead, every Angel that 'dies', ends up here. This is a very obscure piece of heaven. I have been here all along, and here I bring Angels that succomb. How could I grant the humans an eternal life, and not the Angels? You are all my kids, Gabe. From here on, they can mostly choose to be whatever they want. Most choose to remain here, in their own little heaven, like most of my human children. Some want to be human, and see what living really is. Others I need to send back, like I did with our dear Cas, when Raphael came for Chuck. But you... You have another task. Please allow me to explain."

Gabe felt like his head would explode. So much information his Father had given him. The things still in store for the world.. Wow. The things his poor friends, Sam and Dean, still had to go through. Only the details depending on which choises they would make. And Cas... Gabe felt his heart squeeze together. Castiël... Oh his poor baby brother... He would have it so tough. What choises he would make, it wouldn't really matter. Each road held pain for Cas too. Gabe wished he could help out, but Dad had stricktly forbidden him to set foot on Earth. He had a task here in Heaven, and he was exited to get started, but first he had to wait until his friends were done down there, in the cemetary. He sat down to his tv, and watched, cringeing when he saw the true face of Lucifer shine through the face of Sam Winchester. He gasped when Cas molotoved Michael. Gabe shot out of his chair and peeked into the room where he knew Mike would show up, just to see if Mike was alright. He was fine. Totally beside himself with rage that his little brother would do this, but ok none the less. Then Gabe turned back to the screen, just in time to see Lucifer explode their baby brother with a snap of his fingers. Glancing back at what he silently called 'the reception area', he saw that a wall had been placed between Michael, and what Gabe assumed would be where Cas would show up.

Back to the screen. Lucifer was so angry, Gabe shivered. He was beating Dean with the hands of his own, beloved baby brother. Gabe just couldn't bear it. Sam was such a wonderful soul, and now he had to watch his own hands murder his brother. Suddenly Gabe noticed a change in the stance of the tall man. He gasped. Had Sam overcome Lucifer? Behind him, Gabe heard Michael say, in a very firm voice: "No Father. I will go back and finish this, NOW!" Gabe got to the door just in time to see Michael take Adam Milligan's flesh and fly off. Gabe knew that it was only Michael that flew off. His Father had told him Adam was safe in his own Heaven, with his mom. Not willing to see his brothers do battle, Gabe walked into the reception area and sat down on the bed next to Cas. Cas was still out, but that wouldn't take long. Another glance through the open door, towards the tv screen. Holy mother of... Sam actually fought Lucifer and won for a while... Oh no. Now Mike had to step in, didn't he? Gabe watched in horror as both his big brothers, and their vessels, tumbled down into the cage. Cas moaned. The long lashes quivered, and the pale cheeks seemed to regain some colour. Gabe ruffled his baby brother's hair lovingly. The eyes opened and Cas looked up. Cerulean eyes locked onto whiskey-coloured ones. "Gabriel?" Gabe smiled. "Hey bro." Cas looked utterly non-plussed. "Am I dreaming? Or is this some kind of cruel joke of yours?" Gabe flinched. "Autch kiddo. That hurt. You are not dreaming, nor will you be allowed to remember this, but I am still ticking, and so are you. Dad has so many plans for us. For now, you need to go back."


	3. Switched

Gabe sat behind his desk. His feet were on the desk and he sucked on a lollipop. Candy wrapers littered the surface and, all in all, it didn't look like he was very busy. But he was. He was utterly consumed by his work right now. Gabe's sunshine-through-whiskey eyes were glued to the screen of his computer. Dad had really found a niche for him. He had his human interactions and he could retreat to his home here, in that special nook of Heaven. He even got to prank some people, if they were foolish enough to mess with one of his charges. And Dad had allowed him to intervene with the Winchesters and Cas at some points in time. When Cas had walked into the reservoir, fully intent on killing himself and the Leviathans that hitched a ride inside him, Dad had sent Gabe to excorsise the nasties, fish his baby brother out, dry him off, set up a memory block to keep him happy and safe, and drop little Cas off beside the river. A nice lady had picked him up, and all was well for a while. When Dean was negotiating with Death, Gabe had fed Dean's empty body bits of grace, to keep it going until his soul had returned. And Sam, poor Sam. When he was in the mental hospital, Gabe had sat at his side and kept the hallucinations as mild as he could. Furthermore, he had sustained Sam's body like he had Dean's. For now his friends and baby brother were doing ok on their own, looking for stuff and hunting things. So he had some time to look into his other charges. Gabe was aware that the other Angels had been warring, and there had been lots of casualties. There had been a time, when Dad had enlisted Gabe (in a killer disguise) to get every one to their new destiny, before a new wave came in. But that had also abated, and now every once in a while someone came in, but most days it was nice and quiet.

Gabe stretched his back and wings, and decided it was time for a break. He manifested a cool glass of champagne in his hand and sipped it. ' _Yup. This is just great._ ' Gabe thought, as he dipped a strawberrry in molten chocolate. With a few taps on his keyboard, the screen with multiple 'cameraviews' changed into one. Gabe saw Castiël sitting at a diner with... ' _Wait.. Is that... Metatron?! What the actual HELL? When did he pop up?_ ' Gabe felt uneasy. He never really liked Metatron. The little guy had often reminded him of a rat. He just made you feel he was up to skeevy stuff. Gabe wrinkled his nose at the image. He sure hoped Cas was being careful. ' _Well... Break's over._ ' He sighed, put the glass down and reopened the windows into his charges lives.

A couple of days later, as Gabe had taken a day off to just lounge about, he heard his door open. ' _Now who could that be? Nobody actually knows I'm here...'_ Centuries of surviving on Earth kicked in and he cautiously peeked around a corner. "Dad? What's up?" His Father walked up to him, grabbed his shoulders and started pushing him towards his closet door. "Gabriel, I'm sorry. I never would have thought that he'd  do this..." With one hand, he drew a sigil on the door of the closet. Alarmed, Gabe looked at his Father. "Dad? What is wrong? What are you doing?" Sad eyes looked into Gabe's whiskey coloured ones. "I have to make sure you don't get cast out with the others. If I had more forewarning, I could have stopped him. UGH! Why did he have to understand Free Will?" Panic grabbed Gabe by the throat. "Cast out? What?! Dad, no... Wait..." But his Father had said the incantation, opened the door and pushed Gabe in. "I'll get you back as soon as I have cleaned this mess up." He shut the door and Gabe felt Time and Space swirl around him, through him. His stomach churned and he felt, well... Basically just weird. When the sensations faded, Gabe just leaned against the door and waited for his body (calling it a vessel after millennia was just weird) to adjust. When he finally felt a bit like his old self, he carefully opened the door and peeked through. "Dad?" Outside he saw houses, a street with shops. ' _For the love of Dad. Now what?_ ' "Gabey?" That voice sounded familiar... Gabe turned. A way down the street, he saw Sam coming at him, his face worried, and yet somehow relieved. "Sam? What... Where am I?" Gabe squeeled. ' _What the.... Why do I sound like I'm on helium?_ ' Before he could utter another word or think another thought, the big, strong arms of Sam Winchester wrapped around him and lifted him off the ground in a big hug. "There you are! Come on, your brother is worried out of his skull over you." Once he was back on solid ground, Gabe looked at Sam. He was grinning happily. "Did... Did you just... Hug me?" That seemed to tickle Sam's funny bone. He threw his head back and laughed his rich laugh. He opened a door and guided Gabe through, into what looked like a warehouse. "Why wouldn't I?" He ruffled Gabe's hair, much to Gabe's annoyance, and called out: "Cas!! Look who I've found!"

Gabe saw the painfully familiar tan trenchcoat, the short, black hair and he felt his eyes sting. ' _I know it's been a while since I saw him, but why would I tear up about that?_ ' Cas whipped around at the sound of Sam's voice. Relief poured off him in waves! His face lit up in a smile and he ran towards them. "Gabrielle!! Oh, honey! I'm so glad you're ok!" Cas exclaimed in that deep voice of his, as he threw his arms around Gabe in an almighty hug. ' _What in the name off creation is going on here???_ ' Gabe tried to wriggle free. "Ehm, Cassie... Can't breathe, bro." Gabe got annoyed at the whole situation. ' _I still sound like I'm on helium, everyone is acting weird. And did Cas just call me... Honey?_' Cas thankfully released Gabe quickly. "I am so sorry. But you had me concerned there, sweetheart. Please, never do that again." Gabe put his hands on his hips. "HONEY, SWEETHEART?! What in Dad's name is going on here?!" Sam clapped his hand to his mouth. "Gabrielle!! That is no way to talk to your brother!" He scolded. Gabe's eyes flicked to him, shooting amber fire. "Shut it, Samsquatch." Sam seemed unimpressed and folded his arms over his massive chest, but in his eyes there was a brief flash of pain. "You disappear for hours, without telling where you're going, and then you turn up out of the blue, not a block from here, dress all crumpled and dirty... " Something clicked in Gabe's head. ' _Dress?!_ ' Looking down Gabe saw a floral patterned skirt, flowing around shapely knees. ' _Oh my Father! I'm a frigging girl!!!_' Gabe felt a wave of dizzyness hit. At the edge of hearing he caught the voice of his brother. "Gabrielle Christina Novak! What has gotten into you? There is no need to get nasty with either me or your boyfriend!" ' _BOYFRIEND?!_ ' That was the last thought that flashed through Gabe's mind, before all went dark.


	4. Switchback

Something wet was wiping across Gabe's brow. "Come on, Gabey. Wake up." Sam Winchester sounded worried. ' _Why would he be worried about me? It's almost as if he's in lo... Oh. Right... A girl. Oh Dad, where did you send me?_ ' Cas' voice joined Sam's. "Gabrielle, please honey, we need to know what happened to you... If you..." His voice broke. Cas cleared his throat and started again. "If you've been hurt... We need to find the culprits." Gabe opened his eyes. Cas and Sam sat on the sofa they had put him, no her, on, both looking at hi... Her... Gabe was a her now. ' _Oh my Father, this is going to need some getting used to.'_ Both looking at  her with mirrored concerned expressions. She cleared her throat. "Cas, Sam... Wait... Where's Dean?" Cas looked puzzled. "Who?" Gabe tilted her head incredulously. "Dean... Scrumptious looking dude. Slightly shorter than Sammy here, though still annoyingly tall. Greenest eyes ever." Sam's face went from worried to stupified. "Wha... How... How do you know about Dean? I thought I'd never even mentioned his name to you..." Sam's brow creased in a look that could only mean trouble. "Was that where you went? Did you and him..." Gabe shot up.. "EWWWW. SAM!! The mere thought!!! I mean, I like the guy, really, as a friend though." Gabe's reaction seemed to ease Sam's mind a bit. "Well... It's not like it would be the first time he'd snatch my girl." Gabe chuckled. That would be just like Dean, if he wasn't totally obsessed with Sammy being happy. ' _Guess he is less brotherly here than back home._ ' Gabe thought. She sighed, her chest heaving, causing Sam to blush a little. ' _Oh.. UGH. I really need to get out of here! This feels so wrong on so many levels... I have boobs now. Yuk. Not that I hate girls, but I've been a dude for like two millennia._ ' She snapped her fingers... Nothing happened, except that Cas and Sam looked at her wonderingly. ' _What? No Mojo? Awe CRAP!_ ' She looked at her brother. "Cassie, ehm, could you do me a favor and zap us somewhere private? Like home?" Cas and Sam exchanged glances. "We are home, Gabrielle. You're in your own bedroom. And 'zap us'? What do you mean by that?" Gabe swung her legs over the side of the sofa, stood, and started pacing, all the while muttering under her breath. It was too low for the others to hear, and that was probably for the best. "Oh Dad, where did you send me? And without grace, how am I supposed to get home? And a girl? Really necessary? Oh, and I'm betting moose and his halfwit brother won't be able to help either, since he and my little baby bro seem to be clueless about anything."

Sam looked uncertainly at Cas, who shrugged and looked worried sick. Gabe noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye. She rounded on the men with a sudden move, that startled them both. "Right... I know you want to know what the hell happened to me, but I can't help you. I really don't know either. I just kinda... turned up where Sam found me. Does that make sense? Guess not..." she concluded from the blank stares. She whirled around in disgust. "UGH! I think I need to be alone for a bit, please?" Cas and Sam exchanged glances again. "Please! And don't you think about putting a guard at my door, Bro! I'm not going anywhere. I'm just confused and need to set my mind straight, alright?" Cas nodded and silently left the room. Sam just stood there, uncertain what he should do. Gabe smiled. Still the overprotective, sensitive giant. "Don't worry about me, bucko. I think I'll get some shuteye. Maybe that'll get the cobwebs out of the old attic, hey?" Sam's expression grew more worried. "Gabey, I don't know why you talk like this all of a sudden, but it's nothing like you... Are you sure you'll be ok?" Gabe did a master eyeroll. "Yes. Of course I will. Now get your Motherhen butt outside and give me some peace." She shoved at him, and he reluctantly let her push him out the door. With a sigh Gabe shut the door and leaned against it. ' _Right. First things first._ ' She walked to the centre of the room and looked at the ceiling. "Dad? Are you there? I'm really confused, and I desperately need answers. Come on, please don't be gone like my grace..." At the very edge of hearing, Gabe caught a voice. "Gabe, Son? Is that you? Keep talking. That way I can pinpoint the reality I put you in." Gabe felt anger flare up. "What reality? Are you frigging kidding me? You put me in another reality? What did happen to the Gabe from this one? Her Cas and, help me, boyfriend Sam, are worried sick about her." The voice sounded closer now. "I put her in your reality for the time being. She is a comatose Jane Doe, for practical purposes. When I switch you back, I will give her memories that will explain it all." Gabe smirked. "That'd better be some great ones, Dad. Before I got up to speed, I let slip of some stuff, like I know Dean, who doesn't seem to be on speaking terms with Sam in this world. I think I might have told them we're friends, although this Sam seems to be afraid we... Oh EW.. Even the thought makes me gag." A chuckle, closer still. "Don't worry my little Archangel. I've got you now. Just give me the next night to set things right here, and then I'll switch you back. Now mind you, a lot more time will have passed for you here. So as soon as you get back, you need to check your charges." Gabe smiled. "Of course, Dad. Thank you." Infinitely warm and soft, the voice answered: "You're welcome, son. Now rest a while." Gabe yawned. That was a great idea. She got undressed, still uncomfortable with being a girl, put on a nightgown and crawled into bed. She never noticed Sam and Cas checking up on her, or Sam drawing up a chair and sitting next to the bed with a worried expression.

Late that night, Gabe woke to a voice. "Gabriel, get to the bathroom, I'm ready to get you back." Relieved, Gabe sat up, noticing the sleeping form of Sam in the chair. "Thank you, Father." she whispered, and walked into the bathroom. Once again Time and Space swirled around and through, making Gabe feel sick. Once the icky feeling had subsided, Gabe opened the door and peeked through. His bedroom in Heaven greeted his gaze. ' _Thank you, Father!! This certainly looks like home!_ ' Quickly Gabe patted the body, only to find out that was back to normal too. He blew out a big sigh of relief. "Now that is better! Not that being a girl was bad, but I think I prefer my own bod, thank you very much." He heard a chuckle. "Now, now, son. I taught you not to be biased." Gabe turned to see his Father standing in the door, a mischeivous glance in his eternal eyes. "Dad!" Gabe ran over and hugged his Father. "Did you know that I would be a girl?" he accused with his head tilted. His Father chuckled. "Mmmmmaybe..." He offered, sounding just like Gabe himself. Gabe threw his head back and laughed. "You're good, bucko! You tricked the Trickster!"

A few days later, after getting an update on what happened ("I knew that little winged rat was up to something, the moment I saw him with Cassie.") and making sure his charges were ok. ("I can't believe almost a year passed here, while it was less than a day there."), Gabe asked his Father a favor. "You want to see how they are? Why?" Gabe lowered his head, shuffled his feet and his wings hung a little. "I kinda feel responsible... You know. I messed up their lives a little, and I just need to know they are ok." When his Father didn't respond, Gabe glanced up, only to see a warm and loving expression on his Father's face. "What?" The smile broadened. "I'm proud of you, son. You've become such a wonderful angel. Of course you may check up on them. I'll make the connections to your computer, but only this once." Gabe beamed. "Yes, Father!"

So now Gabe sat behind his desk, turned up the volume and watched his screen. The large man filled up most of it, but Gabe could just see a bit of caramel coloured hair, and whiskey coloured eyes. "I'm so glad you are ok, honey. You really gave me and Cas a fright there." Gabe zoomed out. A girly voice answered: "I know, and I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have walked off like that, but I was confused and scared." They hugged, and another figure stepped into view. Sam let go of Gabrielle, and smiled at the newcomer. "I'm just glad Dean came to the rescue. Those kidnappers probably never knew what hit them." Dean smiled his radiant, knee weakening smile and said: "That ought to teach them to mess with the incipient sister-in-law of a marine. Hell, I'm glad Gabey contacted me all those months ago. If we hadn't been in contact, we'd never agreed to meet for lunch, and I'd never gotten suspicious that she didn't show. Who knows how long those assbutts would have held her, or how they would have treated her. " Sam hugged his brother. "Thanks Dean... Thanks." Gabe smiled. Those were good explainations. And it seemed to have mended the bond between those Winchesters. He closed the window on that reality forever, and opened one on his own Winchesters. They were looking into a case where a Shaman wannabe was mucking about with animal parts. ' _Hmmm. They think talking to a dog is the key?_ ' He felt the old Trickster itching to 'help out'. Gabe grinned, popped a sucker in his mouth and planted a nice little Inuit spell for Kevin to find. ' _This should be fun! I hope Dean is the one to down that._'


	5. On the case.

Standing in the police station, Gabe almost giggled. He was, under orders from his Dad, undercover as an elderly, chubby sergeant. He was expecting the Winchesters to show up, and flash their fake badges. Probably FBI or maybe the Wildlife Service. They had a werewolf on the loose here in the vicinity of Canton, New York. It seemed to hang around the Old Route 11. But there were also signs that some demons were near, and the boys hadn't picked up on those yet. ' _Father was right to send me down. Those mooks are keeping such a low profile, I nearly had to dig. Betting Samsquatch and Dean-o will have their hands full with the wolfman. I'll either keep the mooks busy until the boys have their hands free, or I'll keep the mooks busy until the boys are well out, and then smite the bastards. Either way, this'll be fun!!_' He munched on a candybar and shuffled some papers around the desk. When a large shadow fell over them, Gabe had to really control himself, not to squeal with delight. They were here!!! "Good afternoon, gentlemen." he said, with a sincere face. "How may I be of service?" They synchronised their badgeflip and Dean said, in his gruff voice: "Ranger Banner, this is Ranger Stark. We're with the Wildlife Service. We understand you've had some animal attacks in the area?" Gabe smiled widely. "Well, well... Important enough for Wildlife Service to send two guys all the way overhere... But yes, three people so far. All in the woods around the Old Route 11. They were shred to ribbons. Nasty sight... Very nasty." Gabe took another bite from his candy. Dean eyed it with longing, but a bitchface from his little brother made him cough and look away. "So..." Sam intervened. "You got a lot of bears around here?" Gabe wiggled his eyebrows. "Yeah... Some bears. Not too many, but big. Big enough for you to crawl into, Ranger." Sam squared his broad shoulders. ' _He never did like it when his size was mentioned._ ' Gabe smirked to himself. "Anything else that might give a clue as to what clawed those people up?" Dean piped up. Not willing to make things too easy for them, Gabe shrugged. "I don't really know, Rangers. Last poor schmuck is still in autopsy. Maybe you should check him out yourselves. But I'm warning you, it's not a pretty picture."

After the Winchesters had left, Gabe relaxed a bit. They'd be in autopsy for a while and there was no need for him to do anything. The only other supernatural thing near was the werewolf, and those demons, but those were too busy being secretive to bother looking twice at an ageing, chubby cop. Then the doors burst open and a tall man with ruffled black hair and a tan trenchcoat stepped through. Gabe swallowed hard. ' _Woo boy! Now dad's disguise will be put to the test._ ' he thought, but before he could address the man, another officer stepped up. "How may I help you, sir?" The man turned his amazingly blue eyes to the guy and asked, in a gravelly voice: "Ehm yes... Those two men, that were just here, where did they go?" Gabe quickly turned away. ' _Best not to face him directly._ ' The other cop called out to him. "Hey, Sarge! Where did ya ship those Wildlife guys to?" Keeping his back turned, Gabe called back over his shoulder: "Autopsy. They wanted to see the carnage." The blue eyed man didn't even look at him sideways, muttered "Thank you." and walked out. Gabe blew out a sigh of relief. He had faith that his Father's cloaking worked, but still. He hadn't seen his baby brother in ages, and he wasn't sure he could keep a lid on his emotions if he had to deal with Castiël face to face. Last time he had seen such anger and disappointment in his eyes, it had nearly broken Gabe. He remembered Cas as a fledgeling, hugging him and telling him: "I wuvs you, Gabey... We'll be bestest brovvers ever!!!" Gabriel wiped a hand across his eyes. Cas turning up was a complication, no doubt about that.

The demons were cautious, Gabe had to hand it to them. Good thing he could watch them unseen. He cocked his head to listen. "Crowley said we couldn't harm those stupid hunters, but they have wandered into our territory so willingly. Maybe we could play a bit with them. And that idiot angel too." Gabe felt anger bubble in his stomach. ' _I don't think so, you mooks. You leave my brother and his friends alone!!!_ ' Then he calmed a bit. ' _But how do I keep you out of their way?_ ' "When I was at the King's castle, I did a bit of snooping about." one of the thugs chimed in. "And I found this spell. It conjurs up an wonderful little gadget. A Labyrinth. We'll let them loose in that. See how they fare against ancient boobytraps and such." The others guffawed appreciatively. "Brilliant!" one of them laughed. "We never laid a hand on them, but they are well out of our way." Gabe fidgeted. ' _Oh crap... If they do get the spell right, Cas and the Winchester boys don't stand a chance! Minos didn't kid around with those boobytraps and creatures. Those were lethal!_' While Gabe was wondering how to stop the demons from performing the spell, the shed they were in had grown awfully quiet. Gabe glanced around the corner, only to see the demons almost frozen in fear. "Well now. What have we here?" drawled a slick voice with a British accent. Gabe pressed his back against the wall. Crowley! He dared another glance. Crowley strolled casually up to the demon that had suggested the spell and took the vellum scroll out of it's unresisting fingers. He read it and threw the demon a sideways glance. "Really, Asmodeus... Even if you got all the ingredients, you lack both the mental and magical capacities to get this right. You utter moron!"

Crowley casually threw the scroll into a corner and got right up to the terrified demon. "Have I not made myself crystal clear that the Winchesters are totally off limits? There are two very simple reasons why I am not ok with what you, Cresil and Melchom are doing here. One: it took me ages to procure this spell for Hell, use it once and it's gone. And two: you are planning to mess with the freaking Winchesters! Those boys and their pet angel spell nothing but trouble, so, stay out of their bloody way!" Gabe bristled at Crowley calling Cas a pet, but he kept his calm. Crowley was so intent on chewing up his minions, he didn't keep an eye on the scroll he'd discarded. Gabe sidled into the room. He was invisible, but you never knew what tricks that old crossroads demon had picked up by now. Crowley turned on the next demon, which meant he had his back turned fully on the scroll. "Melchom... Was it so bad as a treasurer, that you wanted to come topside?" The demon choked a little. "N..no, Sire. I... I didn't think..." Crowley snorted. "That is obvious. Now, I don't have time to hand out punishments at the moment. You three do the job you were sent here to do, and then come home. We'll discuss your transgressions then." Gabe had heard enough. He stretched out his hand and carefully lifted the scroll from the ground. Then he zapped himself back to the police station. ' _For the love of Dad! Things have gotten complicated indeed!_ '


	6. Busted.

Gabriel twirled around with his deskchair. He was in deep thought about what he should do with those demons. An idea had started to form, but first he needed to know what that task was, that Crowley had set them. It seemed necessary for them to be here, at this geographical point, so maybe it was something about a local legend. Gabe swung his chair back towards the desk and started a search for local lore. The internet was a great invention for researchers. Soon he was totally engrossed in his search. He started when all of a sudden a deep, gravelly voice asked him : "Excuse me sir, I understand that you have a witness to one of the attacks. Could you please get me the witness account?" Gabe looked up sharp, straight into his baby brother's deep blue eyes. In the background, he saw the Winchester brothers, looking at each other and talking softly. The intense stare of Castiël's eyes threw him a bit, and he blinked a few times before he could muster an answer. "Ehm... Sure thing, bucko. But I wouldn't call that the best of witnesses though. A few bats in the belfry, you know..." Gabe was so flustered, that he didn't notice Castiël narrowed his eyes at him. When Gabriel got up to get the folder on the 'animal attack' case, Cas rounded the reception desk and followed him closely. "Why would you say that?" he asked. Gabriel jumped. "For the love of... Ever hear of personal space, bucko? You're in mine..." He heard Dean in the back calling out: "Sorry officer! Been telling him that for ages now, but he doesn't get it." Cas shot Dean a killer glance and turned back on Gabe, just in time to see him smile warmly. Gabe quickly deadpanned and gave Cas the folder. "Here you go. It's all in there." Cas took the folder and leafed through it, occasionally glancing at Gabriel. Then he shut the folder and looked Gabe straight in the eye. "It says here that you took the statement, is that correct, officer Jameson?" Gabe nodded. "Yup. That's how I knew that his eggs were a bit scrambled. Just didn't make sense, stuff he said." Cas continued to stare at Gabe, who became a bit nervous and fished a candybar out of his shirt pocket. Cas eyed it suspiciously and wandered off to the brothers. They talked softly, but urgently. Gabe strained his ears to try and catch something. "Come on, Cas. You saw the report, what's more to find out?" Dean grumbled in his deep voice. Cas answered, but so low, that Gabe couldn't hear. Dean looked at Sam with an exasperated eyeroll and threw his hands up. "Fine! You know where we will be. C'mon Sammy, we'll get some food and do some more research." Cas watched them go, tapping his hand with the folder. When the boys were out of the building, he turned back to Gabe. "I have some questions, regarding this statement. Is there a place we can sit and discuss them?" Gabriel chewed on his candy and nodded. "This way please." he said, and lead Cas to an empty interrogation room.

Cas stepped inside the empty room and turned around. Gabe closed the door, wondering what questions his baby brother might have, when all of a sudden he found himself pinned to the wall, Cas' lower arm pressing against his throat. "Who the hell are you?" He growled in a very low and treatening voice. "You can't be who I think you are. I saw my brother die." Gabe felt his eyes widen. ' _How? How can he see me?_ ' "Easy there, pal. I don't know what you think you're doing, but..." The preassure against his larynx got higher. "How do you do it? How can you mimick another persons grace? I can sense it, it's muffled, distorted, but it's there. Why are you posing as an Archangel?" Castiël growled. ' _Sorry, Dad. I guess not even you can fool Castiël._ ' Gabriel sighed. "Sorry, bucko... Close, but no cigar." he said and let the disguise drop. Cas released him imediately, staggering back. "Gabriel!" he breathed. Gabe smiled and his amber eyes twinkled. "Right in one go, Cassie!" Castiël grabbed his shirt and once again Gabe found himself pinned to the wall. "Is this another trick, brother? I. Saw. You. Die! What are you pulling here? I mourned you... You..." Gabe felt Cas' grip slacken. He put his hands on Cas'. "I'm sorry, bro. I really am. But I had to stay undercover." Cas glared at him. "So your death, the burn marks from your wings on the ground, it was all an illusion? A trick?" Gabe smiled sadly. "No. That would have been a good one though... But I died. I honestly died. Lucifer stabbed me, and I died. But, like that time Raph came for Chuck and you were caught in the crossfire, or that time Luci exploded you into atoms, I was brought back. Can't give you the details, but I'm good as new." Cas ruffled his hair and sat down on one of the hard plastic chairs. "Where have you been? I thought I felt you around a couple of times, but chalked that up to mourning your loss." ' _YIKES! He is sensitive! Better tell Dad about that, and take it into account. I'm sure Dad will windex his memory after this, but if he can still sense my grace, my cover is blown as soon as I get within ten miles of him._' Cas looked at him, cerulean eyes drawn into that adorable puppydog look. ' _Awe shucks! I hate when he does that!!_ ' Reverting to joking around to avoid giving in, Gabe said "Wow... You've gotten better at that. Did Samsquatch teach you that?" Cas frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean there. I just want to know what happened to you." Gabe felt his heart break, but Dad would be so angry.

"I'm sorry, bro. Spoilers." Gabe winked. Annoyed, Cas slumped back. "No need to quote Doctor Who to me, brother. I guess I don't need to know everything." Gabe raised his eyebrows. "You got that reference? When did you become all pop savvy?" Cas' frown deepened. "Metatron." he answered irritably. "That little gnome instilled all popculture into my brain. And now I can't turn it off. It is very unsettling." Gabe frowned. "Metatron? Is he still out there? I'd have thought you or the Hardy-boys would have ehm.. What's that phrase? ... Ganked his ass by now." Cas looked up, locking Gabriel's golden eyes with his deep blue ones. Suddenly, tears shone in those deep pools, and Cas put his head in his hands. "I couldn't do it, Gabriel. I just couldn't. So many of us have died already. I didn't want more blood on my hands." He sounded like a little fledgeling, scared and hurting. Just like when they were younger, Gabriel bent down to hug him. ' _I could tell him. About Angel heaven. That might ease his pain a bit._ ' In the vaults of his mind, a voice suddenly rang out. "No Gabriel. Don't. It is bad enough that I have to wipe this from your brother's memory. The more he knows now, the easier it might be to break the blockage later on." Gabe sighed and just hugged his baby brother in silence. Eventually Cas sighed tremulously and the celestial brothers patted eachothers back. "Thank you, Gabey." The fact that Cas was reverting to the nickname he had given Gabriel back home, told Gabe he had been forgiven. "Soooo, now my cover has been blown, I might as well tell you what you're up against." Cas nodded. "We have a pretty good idea it's a werewolf." Gabriel nodded, impressed. "Good job. With what little you had, that is actually quick. But..." Cas tilted his head in confusion. "... There are also a couple of demons here. Crowley sent them up. I think they were ordered to get their paws on an ancient Iroquoi artefact that allowed the bearer to talk to the animals, and when abused, control them. That would provide Crowley with an unlimited supply of spies." Cas looked alarmed. "We cannot allow them to get that. That would be disastrous!" Gabe nodded. "Pretty much, yeah. But don't get your panties in a bunch, bro. I happen to have here.." He manifested the vellum scroll into his hand. "... a nifty little spell. It conjurs up Minos' Labyrinth. Let's drop those losers in there, and then I can get the artefact and..." Cas put his hand on Gabe's shoulder. "Let me do that, brother. I can tell the Winchesters that you were one of the demons, and I had you divulge the information, before smiting you. That way your cover is intact. If we get the artefact, we'll put it in a cursebox in the archives of the bunker." Gabe sighed. ' _It is a sure way to prevent my hand being recognised, but I do wish Father needn't wipe Cas' memory._ ' Winking, he said: "Sounds like a plan, little bro. Very Trickster worthy." Cas beamed at him. "I'm glad to have you back, Gabriel." Gabriel smiled, a sad little smile. "Good to be back, Cas. Now go get them, tiger." Cas smiled and left the room. Gabe watched him go with a sad feeling and then flew back home.


	7. Hurts and pain

' _How come it always seems to end up with questioning the decissions made by your parents? Well, parent in this case._ ' Gabriel had kept a close watch on Cas and the hunters after he'd litterally flown the coop, and he was partially happy at the outcome. Cas had been able to convince the Winchesters of his version of what happened, and they did trap Asmodeus, Cresil and Melchom in the Labyrinth. The Iroquoian artefact lay snuggly in a cursebox, on a shelf in one of the many storerooms at the bunker. And now Gabe was home once more, watching the boys downstairs. All through the hunt for the werewolf and the search for the demons, Gabe had been receiving fond prayers from Castiël. He had replied to them likewise, and they both had basked in their bond. Then, all of a sudden, the prayers stopped coming from Cas, and Gabriel knew what had happened. The memory of that day at the police station had been altered, wiped of anything remotely connected to Gabe. Now, for Castiël, that day had happened exactly as he had told the Winchesters. When he had realised what his Father had done, Gabriel cried. He had all but lost his brother once more. For a week, Gabe had been stubbornly watching his brother going through life with his friends, then, after almost losing one of his charges to a vampire, Gabe got a grip and picked up his own life. He wasn't mad at his Father, but he did miss his brother awfully. So, he returned to watching him during his time off, like right now. Cas was sitting in the library at the bunker, the hunters fast asleep in their rooms. Something seemed to be bothering him, and Gabe was worried he might be in pain. ' _UGH, and nothing I can do about it..._ ' Abruptly switching off his computer, Gabe decided that he needed a day off. No screens into Earth life for a day. He'd pick up his former pasttime, reading tabloids and using those far fetched stories to play the Trickster, even if it would only be in his head. He snapped his fingers and a thick pile of papers appeared next to his red leather chair. Gabe snapped again, so he was dressed in his red boxers and a T-shirt, stretched his golden wings and wrapped them around his body. ' _Better than a robe.'_ he smiled, and snuggled into his chair, opening the first paper.

He was almost halfway through his stack, when it hit him. A prayer. Not one of those thousands that are part of the church dogma and all read approximately the same. This one was personal.

"Gabriel... I.. I feel lost. I miss you brother. I know you can't hear me anymore, but I don't know who else to turn to. You were my big brother, and you always took care of me, even as a fledgeling. When Dad was too busy, you'd teach me how to fly, how to walk and even how to prank. Although I was hopeless at it. I guess humor has never been my strong suit. I am trying to be as human as I can, but I always seem to mess up somehow. You were so good at it. You were able to mingle for eons, and until Sam and Dean figured it out, no-one was any the wiser, not even our brothers. I just wish you were still there for me. To teach me how to human, how to recognise sarcasm and irony. Oh my Dad... Now I know how the Winchesters feel when one or the other is gone. You were the Dean to my Sam, I suppose. You were my big brother."

Gabriel felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. He threw his head back in anguish and called out once: "Cassie... I'm so sorry baby brother..." Then he fell on his knees, hugging his chest with both arms and wings and crying silently. The grief was too much to even sob.

Castiël sat at the reading table in the bunker. He felt lost and alone, and he prayed to a dead brother. All of a sudden he felt anguish beyond his own grief flood him and he tought he could hear a cry. "Cassie... I'm so sorry baby brother..." Nothing else, but it kicked him in the gut and he broke down with a wail and started sobbing. He didn't notice Dean walking up to him until he felt the hand on his shoulder and heard the gruff voice say ever so tenderly: "Cas, buddy what's wrong?" Cas looked up, blue eyes swimming with tears and his cheeks soaked. All he could utter was a repeated: "It can't be him... It can't be him..." Then he sank into a dead faint.

Cas sat on the hood of the Impala, watching the stars. Gabe felt a lump in his throat. "Castiël..." Cas whipped his head around. "Gabriel? That can't be..." Gabe shrugged. "We are in a place where all is possible, little bro." Cas frowned. "I'm...I'm dreaming?" Gabriel spread his hands. "And Bingo was his name-o..." "But I'm an angel, we don't sleep, therefore we don't dream..." Gabe pursed his lips in a very specific manner, that everyone who knew him, would recognise. "True, but you are not sleeping. You, my dear feathered fledgeling, are totally out cold." Cas looked totally bewildered. "I'm unconscious? How?" Gabe sat down on the hood, next to Cas. "The human body can just switch off. Especially when it is experiencing great pain." Cas pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around them in a very human fashion. "Pain? Last thing I remember is sitting in the library... Nothing to inflict pain or injury." Gabe raised one eyebrow. "Not all pain is physical. If a human gets emotionally hurt enough, the body will shut down, completely." "But I'm not human..." Gabe chuckled. "Your vessel is, and it recognised agony, so it shut off." "Agony? Who could hurt me like that?" Gabe raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Really, bucko? Who could do that? Who could find that specific bit of info that would release so much grief, your vessel pulls the emergency stop? Oh, right... You. " Cas remembered what happened, after his prayer. "Are... Are you..." Gabe cocked his head. "Now Castiël, you really don't want to hear that answer, do you? Let's assume I'm here, because you really, really needed me to." Cas hugged his knees tighter and quietly said: "Ok..." Gabriel put an arm around his frame. " Look, I know you're hurting, Cas. But I also know you have the best friends in the whole wide world looking out for you. They might not be the best examples of human life, but they will stick with you through thick and thin. And if you do feel the need to talk to me... Pray. Even if I can't answer, it will help you cope, or ease the pain. Never be afraid to feel, never be afraid to ask." He hugged Castiël and ruffled his hair. "I love you, baby bro. Vær trygg." Cas looked up. "What?" Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows. "It's Norwegian. Means: stay safe." He ruffled Cas' hair again, spread his wings and flew off. He could just hear Cas whisper: "You too, Gabey... Stay safe."

Gabriel rubbed his face with his hands. Walking in dreams was always one of his least favorite things. He switched on his computer and opened a window. He watched how, in the bunker, Cas turned over and he saw a tear glisten in the corner of Cas' eye. However, at the moment, Cas smiled sweetly. Sam stood at the end of the bed and Dean sat in a chair next to Cas, looking worried. "Whatever happend, Cas. We're here, buddy." He took one of Cas' hands in his own. Gabe manifested a big tumbler of whiskey and took a large sip. Gabe saluted the screen. "Vær trygg, boys. I'll watch over you."


	8. Double Trouble

"Gabriel.... I'm stuck... Litterally. I'll find a way out, don't worry. But I'm worried about Dean, and Sam. Someone went out of their way to trap me. I think they might have wanted me out of their way to get the brothers. I hope you can watch out for them, until I get out of this Holy Fire." The prayer hit Gabriel as he was enjoying some champagne while working. He spewed out his last sip. ' _Holy mother of.... Cas?!_ ' He snapped his fingers and zapped down to Earth. Sam and Dean were sleeping peacefully at the bunker. Gabe decided that he'd better keep an eye out. Cas could be right. If they were one angel short in Team Free Will, the humans were vulnarable. He went invisible and raided the pantry for sweets. He opened a candybar, sat down at the kitchen table, put his feet up and took a big bite. There were still a good number of hours in the night. He'd wait and see what the day would bring.

"Dean... Did you have a midnight snackattack?" Sam was standing in the pantry and rummaged around. His brother sat at the kitchen table behind a stack of pancakes, scrambled eggs and fried bacon. "What? No..." he answered through a mouthfull. "Slept all night, like a baby." He swallowed. "Finally, I might add. That week at the motel... Sheesh. Those beds were awful!" Sam pulled a classic bitchface at Dean. "Good for you. But that doesn't account for the bag of candybars that's mysteriously been emptied." Dean got up, a bit angry. "Well, I didn't do it. I didn't even know we had candybars." Gabriel sat in one of the other chairs and quietly sniggered. This would be fun, and he still could watch out for his friends. Sam just threw Dean another bitchface and let it slide.

"Sammy..." Dean called out. Sam strode towards the sound of his brother's voice. "What is it?" Dean was standing in Sam's room. "Why are you in my room?" Dean wore a bitchface to rival Sam's best. "Well, I was going to change the bedding, since it has been unaired for a week. But now I think I'm going to call you out. Look what I found, stashed under your mattress." He held out a hand, opened it. Candywrappers tumbled down onto the floor. "Guess you thought you could blame me for your own cravings. Not very nice, Sammy." Sam looked utterly stunned. "Dean...I swear. I never ate those. You know I'd rather have an apple." Gabe winced. ' _UGH Sam!!! Really? I never would have thought it.'_ Dean pursed his lips, considering Sam's answer. "Allright. I know you do, disturbing though it is. Then how did these get under there?" Sam looked confused. "I don't know. Maybe, maybe... Maybe I was sleepwalking?" Dean frowned. "That's odd. You never done that. Not even when you had those nighmares, or when you were hooked on demonblood." Sam shifted uneasily. Mentioning his former addiction always made him uncomfortable. Dean thoughtfully rolled a wrapper around between his fingers. "If I didn't know he was dead, I'd say Gabriel was yanking our chains." Sam's eyes widened. "The Trickster?" ' _Uh oh!_ ' Dean nodded. "Yeah, but Cas said he was gone. He couldn't sense his grace anymore. And I think it would be a damned hard thing to hide, an Archangel's grace." Gabe smiled. Everybody always said Dean wasn't the smart one, but he disagreed. Dean wasn't booksmart, like Sam was, but he was streetsmart, and he was quick on the uptake too. ' _Too right, Dean-o. Unless you have my Dad doing the hiding._ ' Sam rubbed his chin. "I don't know, Dean. Maybe there is another Trickster hanging around." Dean looked sceptic. "Come on, man. The bunker is warded against stuff like that, and besides, those things go for the douchebags, and last time I checked, we were being the good guys. Admittedly acting wrong sometimes, but always believing that it was for the greater good." Gabriel smiled and popped a sucker in his mouth. ' _That you do boys... Even when I was messing with you, it was never because you are dicks. I said I liked you, and I meant it. You are ok._ ' He felt a little pang of nostalgia for those simple times.

After a whole week of lounging about at the bunker, invisible, Gabe felt he was going nuts. The boys had done some hunts, mostly simple things like hauntings, a werewolf here, a djinn there. Nothing even remotely demonic or really threatening. He'd pranked the boys a bit more by planting sigaretbuds and an open package of smokes in Dean's jacket. Sam had gone ape. "Smoking, Dean?! Are you nuts? Or just suicidal?" Dean had protested vehemently, and it had ended with Sam making Dean light up. Dean had been violently ill in no time flat, which had convinced Sam that Dean didn't smoke. They had upped the warding on the bunker after that, which was good, of course, but it didn't help Gabe. If he were to prank them again, he was really getting close to being found out. So he hung around, watching. Gabe got the increasing idea he was wasting his time. He hadn't heard from Cas in a while, and he couldn't pray to him, not without blowing his cover to next Tuesday.

"Ga..Gabriel... I hope you can still receive prayers. I must believe you can. I'm... I'm still in the Holy fryingpan, as Dean might say. Please watch over the Winchesters. They need a guardian." Gabe frowned. Cas had sounded weary... That was bad! His attention got drawn back to the Winchesters. Dean said he'd go for a supply run. ' _Oh good! Now I can go out a bit! Samsquatch will be safely holed up here. Time to get some fresh air!_ ' He snapped his fingers and appeared, dressed as an elderly storeclerk, at the local supermarket. Shortly after he saw Dean enter the store and picking up several items. Gabe smiled when Dean stacked several pies into his cart. That man and his pie. When Dean approached the check out, Gabe quickly got rid of his telltale sucker. "Afternoon sir. Nice day today, isn't it?" Dean gave him a polite smile. "Yeah. Nice to be out in this weather. I think I might make a little detour, before going home." He cased the store surreptiously, while he spoke, and his eyes narrowed when he spotted a nervous looking kid, all dressed in black and with his hood up. Gabe had spotted him too. ' _Oh no... Really?_ ' Dean kept putting his shopping onto the counter, but also eyed the guy, who was sauntering towards them, one hand in his jacket. Dean paid for his shopping, and Gabriel bagged it. Dean left the store, or at least, he seemed to. The kid pulled out his gun and pointed it straight at Gabe. "Gimme the cash, old man... Now!" Gabe's hands shot up. "Allright, allright... Just don't shoot!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dean sneak up on the guy, and before he could do anything, Dean had jumped the robber. They rolled around the floor, and suddenly the gun went off. Dean jerked back a little, grunted, gave the robber a right hook and stood up, his hand on his shoulder. Gabe looked shocked. He knew the Winchesters were tough, but Dean acted as if he had bruised his arm, not as if he'd been frigging shot. "You allright, sir? Did he hit you?" Dean rolled his shoulder gingerly and Gabe knew he was wounded, probably needed stitches. "Naah, I'm ok. You get the cops, and let them wheel this dirtbag off to jail. I just wanna go home and ice this shoulder he punched." The jacket was darkening around the hand, and Gabe knew Dean needed to get his butt home and let Sam stitch him back up. "Allright sir, if you insist. I will take care of the red tape, if you take care of that shoulder. " Dean gave him a little smile. "Will do. Thanks. Take care." Gabe smiled back. "You too. Like they say in my old country: Vær trygg!" Dean got into the Impala and the engine roared into life. Gabe dealed with the cops and watched the young idiot get hauled off. He stated that the customer that had stopped the robbery so heroicly, wanted to go home and nurse his bruises, and the cops wanted to see the surveillance tape. Gabe snapped his fingers and Dean's handsome face was either obscured by the robber, or the tape was bad. They could never ID him. After telling the cops goodbye, Gabe zapped back to the bunker, just in time to see Sam pull the bullet out of Dean's shoulder and stitch him up. "You dumbass. You could have gotten killed!" Dean winced and took a swig from the whiskey bottle. "Naah. I'm ok, Sammy. I just wonder what country the old guy came from. He said something like fair trick, but I think it meant something like 'stay safe' or 'farewell', or maybe 'thank you'. What do you think?" Sam showed yet another bitchface, but he answered. "Sounds like it's maybe Scandinavian, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. You saved his bacon. Maybe next time you'll get free food." Dean snorted. "I wish!" Gabe smiled. All was well once more. Now to get Castiël back. This was getting tiresome.

"G... Gabe... I... I'm tired... Bu.. But... I'm so tired. Going to sleep now. Night Gabey." Gabe was shocked. That sounded like Cas was on the verge of collapse. The muttonheads were fine, so he could follow the prayer to where Castiël would be, in order to whisk him out.  
The prayer led him to a castle hidden deep in the mountains of Norway. ' _Oh, crap... Not here..._ ' Carefully he stalked the hallways, until he could sense a familiar presence. Not Castiël, he was still warded by his tattoo, but someone he knew very well too. He squared his shoulders, and entered the next room. It was almost cavernous, so big, and on a throne at the very end, sat a burly, blonde haired man. He looked up as Gabe entered. "Well, well, well." he drawled in a husky voice. "Loki, as I live and breathe. What have you been up to the last centuries, my brother?" Gabriel waved his hands vaguely as he approached the guy. "Ooohhh, little bit of this, little bit of that. Nothing much, actually. And you, brother? I have it from a very trusty source that you misplaced your valuables." The man jumped out of the throne and grabbed Gabe's jacket by the lapels. "I know you did that!" he growled. "Thor, big bro. I never even touched Mjölnir. You left it, lying about. And some archeologist or hunter or what other simple human found it. Maybe it was lonely for you, for any contact, so it deemed just about anybody worthy by that time, I don't know." Thor's eyes almost shot lightning by themselves. "You never understood my Hammer. Mjölnir would not deem just anybody worthy!" Gabe raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? Well, look at this then." he offered and projected his memory of Sam wielding the great Hammer at that awful auction, where they had lost so much. He had seen that during the update with his Father. Thor saw his mighty tool, and the fact that it was up for auction, handled by so many, and then a human... A puny, well metaphorically speaking puny, human picked Mjölnir up, and wielded it, like Thor himself... Gabe watched between his adopted brother and his dear friend, and suddenly he could see how Mjölnir could think Sam worthy. He was like Thor in many ways. A warrior, but pure of heart and soul, yet also filled with anger at times. Gabe felt sorry for Thor, until the God of Thunder whipped around and almost clocked him. "You lie!!! This cannot have been!" Gabriel got back on his feet and scowled. "Really? Why don't you ask your Father then. Oh wait. He was anyhilated, by the Christan god of Chaos and Evil, Lucifer, because he. Didn't. LISTEN TO ME!!!" He sighed, trembling, and wiped his eyes wearily. "I never wanted this, Thor. I never, ever wanted them wiped out. That bloody war should never have involved them, but Kali and Mercury and bloody Balder had to be assinine, and try and stop them. It never concerned them." He drew an unsteady breath. "Now, where is the Angel you're holding hostage to get me? Let him go, before you get in trouble too." Thor snorted derissively. "HAH. I knew that would get your attention. I heard about this one Angel, that somehow survived all, and that has human pets that hunt with it. And I also heard that you, brother, had been seen, aiding it. So I figured that to get you here, I needed that Angel to call for your aid." The smug tone, the demeaning way that Thor talked about Castiël, Sam and Dean, those irked Gabriel. Immensely... ' _Oh well, I showed my true colours to Odin, why not to this huffed up, selfrighteous toad?_ ' Gabe put his feet slightly apart, squared his shoulders and said, so low it could have been a whisper, except for the very real threat it posed: "Give me the Angel, Thor. You wouldn't like me when I'm mad." Thor clearly wasn't paying attention to the tone Gabe used. He laughed, and let his massive form shadow that of Gabe's vessel. "Come on, Loki. You've always been tiny. How could you be a threat to me?" Gabe narrowed his eyes and let his Archangelblade drop into his hand. "Easy, you big galoot. I use my true form..." he said calmly and uncased his golden wings, his eyes glowing with his grace. The sheer power of that simple act, bowled the God of Thunder over and he cowered where he lay. "What in the name of Yggdrasil are you?" Gabriel didn't even answer him and strode up to him. "Now... Where. Is. The. Angel?" Thor tried to crawl up into himself and shakingly pointed to a door behind the throne. "Good boy." Gabe said and patted the God on his head. "Now you listen to me, and you listen good. Leave the Christians to their own device, including their mythic creatures. There are still pagans that believe in you. Do them good, and stay a good guy. Listen to their prayers and try and answer them if you can. I'm going to go, and take the Angel with me." He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Don't ever get on my bad side again, bucko, unless you enjoy being dead. I never give out second warnings. Next time, you're toast." He didn't look back at the pagan God and strode to the door he had been pointed.

In the bare, small antechamber behind it, he saw a large circle of Holy Fire. In the middle lay Castiël in a heap. Clearly the Fire had worn him out. Gabriel snapped his fingers and the flames died out. Within two strides, he was next to Cas and put his fingers on his forehead. Gabe frowned in concern. Cas' grace was still there, but seriously depleted. He had been inside this circle for almost two weeks, and it had weaned his grace bit by bit. Gabe pulled his baby brother up a bit. "Jeez Cas! Lay off the burgers, would you?" he huffed. Once he got Cas in the kind of grip one uses on a drowning victim, he zapped them to Cas' room in the bunker. There he hoisted the unconsious Angel onto his bed, flopped him on his belly, like he had collapsed on impact, and knocked a bedstand over. In no time flat, the Winchesters came bargeing in, guns and knives drawn. "Cas!!! Hey, hey, hey... What happened, buddy? You ok?" Putting their weaponry away, Dean and Sam ran to the Angel. When he didn't come around at their prodding and poking, they undressed him and put him in bed. Dean put the bedstand right way up and Sam got a glass of water, claiming that he thought Castiël looked dehydrated. Invisible, Gabriel checked Cas' grace. It was mending, slowly, and Gabe estimated that Cas would come round in about twelve hours. In the mean time, he placed a memory in Cas' mind, where Cas had finally been allowed a drink, which he had used to quench the fire over a large section of the circle. Then he jumped out before the fire caught up, and zapped to the bunker. ' _Not my best work, but plausible._ ' Gabe conceded. He smiled when both the Winchesters pulled up a chair and sat, watching their buddy recover. ' _That's it, boys. You guard my baby brother. Vær trygg._ '


	9. A visit to an old aquaintence

Gabriel was wandering the backroads and alleys of heaven. Those passages where the doors to human heavens ended up. Some he knew of, some he remembered. Hardly any angels were here at the busiest of times, and now the halls were empty. He turned right and walked down that hall for a while, when he suddenly stopped. On the door was a plaque stating the name and year of birth and year of death of it's inhabitant, like all doors there. But this read: 'Robert Singer 1950 - 2012' Gabriel felt his heart squeeze. He hadn't known Bobby was dead. ' _Oh no... Those poor guys! It must have nearly killed them!'_ Carefully, he opened the door and found himself in a tattered room with tacky wallpaper and crumbling bookshelves. An old leather chair faced an equally old radio and a book lay forlorn on it's seat. A cup of coffee stood, steaming, on the sidetable. The soul of Bobby was nowhere in sight however. Gabriel carefully walked in further. All of a sudden he felt something sharp at the small of his back. "Don't move, you asshat." a gruff and surley voice growled. "Move and you're Angel kebob." Gabe held his hands up and chuckled. "Only you, Bobby Singer, could procure an Angelblade in Heaven. Boy... Now I know where those kids got it from." Gabe felt the blade slide around to his stomach, as it's wielder circled him. "The Trickster?!" Bobby asked incredulously. "How in the HELL did  you end up in Heaven? Shouldn't you be in Purgatory?" Gabe tilted his head questioningly. "You didn't know? I'm actually an Angel. Always have been." Bobby tightened his grip on the Angelblade. "Why are you here? I'm not going back to jail. I've been pardonned and haven't set a toe out of line since." "Whoa... Settle down, bucko. I'm not here on orders. Heck, I don't think I ever do anything on orders anymore. Come to think of it, never really have. I used to issue some, but that was waaaaay back when..." Bobby relaxed the blade a little. Gabe's brain caught up with his ears. "Wait, what? You have been to Heaven's lock-up? Why?" Bobby scratched his scruffy beard and shifted his tatty cap. "Well, I did escape from this joint, and freed my former selves. Oh and I helped Sam and Castiël get their mitts on Metatron, to help save Dean from that Mark." Gabe laughed out loud. "Good on you!!! I always felt that keeping you cooped up in your own little paradise was rather respectless." Bobby motioned to another chair, and sat down into his own, after putting the book next to the coffee. "You are not like most of the other wingnuts around here. Have a seat. Would'ya like some whiskey?" Gabe inclined his head in acceptance. "Thank you. Not many heavens carry alcohol. Seems like the inhabitants feel it's against the law to have that." Bobby poured out a good meassure of scotch in a tumbler, and handled it to Gabe. Then he saluted him with his own glass. "So, now that we are being more civilised towards each other, what's your name? Can't very well keep calling you Trickster if that ain't you."

Gabe took a sip. "Hm! Johnny Walker Blue... Nice!" He smacked his lips and his amber eyes flicked to Bobby's face. "Well, I actually am the Trickster. Been Loki for a few centuries, but that was all just cloak and dagger stuff, to keep off Heaven's radar." Bobby looked impressed. "Loki?! The actual Norse God of Mischief and Lies? Whoa! You must gave been good, to fool those Pagans for so long." Gabe smiled sadly. "Still fooling some of them, actually. Thor still thinks I am his brother. But enough chitchat. Might as well go in all the way. My name is Gabriel." Bobby's eyes grew slightly larger, and his mouth opened a bit, but other than that, he seemed unfased. "Really? The Archangel. The Messenger of God?" Gabe nodded. Bobby cocked his head slightly and drank a gulp of his whiskey. "Well, honoured, I'm sure. Did the boys ever find that one out? I mean, they did say they had an Archangel help them out, at that hotel, with the Pagan Gods, but he died. And that's about as much as they told me. They did seem to mourn you somewhat. Especially Castiël... Oh lords! Does he know you're still kickin'?" Gabe smiled at the older hunter. "You're actually fond of my baby brother." Bobby looked abashed and quickly took another gulp. "Well.." he gruffly said. "... He is Dean and Sam's best friend. And yeah.. He's grown on me since he knocked me out in that barn. I mean, I even had him touch my soul once, to help him get the boys back from 1861." Gabe was impressed. So much that got forgotten in the update! "Why were they that far back in time? That's awfully dangerous." Bobby sat back and got comfy. "Well, they needed the Phoenix ashes, to help us get rid of the 'mother of freaking everything' as Dean put it." Gabe clutched his drink. "What?! You took on Eve?! I don't believe it! I think I need another update!" Bobby sniggered. "Update? What are you? A computer?" Gabe just drank another sip of his drink. "So, did that get you up here? Tangling with the Mother of Monsters?"

Bobby sobered a little and he looked into his glass. "No. That happened with the whole business with the Leviathans, about a year later. We broke into the office of the big kahoona, and that went sideways, as usual. When we were running away, that bastard took a shot at me. Hit me right in the duncecap. I held on long enough to give my boys a much needed message, but then it was lights out. Stuck around for a while after." He took another sip, determinedly avoiding Gabe's eye. "You went vengeful on the bastard?" Bobby reddened a bit. "No... Well, not right away anyhow. I told myself I'd stuck around to make sure the boys were ok, and handling things well. But then I got stronger, and angrier, posessed some poor maid from the motel we were at, and hitched a ride with her to go kill Dick Roman. Or the Leviathan that posed as him. I got to my senses before the poor thing got hurt, but still. And I nearly went darkside. That's when the boys salted and burned my link to them. That evil jerk, Crowley, swiped my soul then, took it to hell with him. But Sam got me out, whilst doing those trials that were supposed to lock the Hell-Gates. Been here ever since. Except for my brief spell in your slammer." Gabe saluted him. "Sorry about that, old bean. Must have been Hannah, right? Well, she's a lot more lenient than Naomi, that's for sure. How long were you in?" Bobby drained his glass. "Long enough to never want to go back." Gabe followed suit. "Fair enough. You know what, bucko. I think you can give me a far more detailed story on what happened since I took my.. Let's say: leave of absence, than I have had so far. Would you mind terribly filling me in? As far as you know it of course." Bobby seemed pleased and poured another copious helping of Johnny Walker for the both of them. "Well, it ain't like I got other plans there, Gabriel. Whaddaya wanna know?" Gabe snuggled down into his chair, cradling his drink. "As much as you can tell me."

"... And Dean just sits there, sassing the bitch. Now I'm worried sick. That ugly momma could rip him to shreds, or have her offspring do it. But he just taunts her. 'Bite me.' he says to her. And sure enough, she sinks her teeth right into his neck. You can call me a proud Dad if you wanna, but that boy is so much smarter than even he thinks. Dean had taken his precautions. He'd actually swallowed one shot worth of the ashes, mixed it with an ounce of whiskey. When she drank his blood, she got a mouthfull of nasty. That burned her up good. As soon as she's done for, your brother yells: 'Close your eyes!' and smites the whole bunch of monsters in one fell swoop. I tell ya. That boy is very handy on a hunt!" Gabe sat on the edge of his seat. ' _I knew the hunters had a tough life, but reliving it like this... Whoa. It's riveting!_ ' He glanced at the clock on the mantle. "Whoo boy... Looks like I have to go. Thanks Bobby. You tell a great story. Mind if I come back later on, to hear more?" Bobby drained his glass. "Sure. I'd be more than happy to have ya. You're ok, for an angel." Gabe smiled and got up. "Whoops! How many drinks did we have? I feel a little woozy." Bobby laughed. "I actually don't know, and I don't care either. It's good to have company! See ya soon?" Gabe smiled. "HELLS yeah. See you soon. Vær trygg." Bobby nodded. "Du også." Gabe smiled a happy, slightly drunken, smile. "You know Norwegian!" he beamed and wandered off to sleep off his buzz. Bobby got up steadily, and closed the door behind him.


	10. Dean.

"Son, we need to talk." Gabe looked up from his work. "Dad? What's wrong?" His Father sat down in the chair opposite Gabe's desk. "I know you have been playing guardian angel over your brother and his friends." ' _Oh crud... I'm in for it..._ ' Gabe swallowed hard. "Look, Dad..." His Father raised his hand and shushed him. "I'm not mad, I'm not even annoyed. It works. It has saved the day, hasn't it? " Gabe smiled relieved. "Yeah..." Suddenly his Father stood up again. "Keep an eye on Dean... Something is up, and I think you might be needed. Be that storeclerk if you want. Or stay hidden. I don't care. Just keep the man safe. I have some other things to handle and can't do it." He got out as sudden as he had come in. Gabe scratched his neck. ' _Oh well... Here we go again._ '

He popped into the local store again, just in time to see the black Impala roll into the parking lot. Dean entered the store, and raised his hand in greeting. Gabe smiled, truely glad to see Dean up and about. When Dean came to check out, he noticed a stack of pies. Gabe smiled at him. "Afternoon, sir. I see you have quite the liking for these." He tapped the pie box on top. Dean smiled his dazzling smile and his jade eyes twinkled. "What can I say? It's the ultimate food for me." Gabe nodded. "I can see how you can say that. By the way, how's that shoulder? I hope it's not still sore." Unknowingly, Dean rolled it and the corner of his mouth twitched just a bit as the stitches pulled. "It's ok. Thanks for asking. Nice to know you care." There was a hint of sarcasm in that last remark. Gabe pounced on it. No way in hell that he'd allow this smart and wonderful soul, to feel like he was not worth the concern. "But sir, of course I do." He glanced around, making sure the store was empty. "You safed me from that punk. The lords know what he might have done otherwise. You take your shopping and go home. This is a one time thing. Can't keep giving the goods away, but any future pie you buy here, is for free. My treat." Dean looked stunned. "Thank you. That is very kind!" Gabe waved it off. "That's ok. Now you enjoy your pie. Vær trygg!" Dean happily took his bags and left the shop. Gabe watched him go, put the bags in the trunk and rev up the Impala. Then Gabe snapped his fingers and, invisible, sat Shotgun, while Dean sped home to the bunker, singing along with AC/DC at the top of his lungs.

"Sammy!! I'm back!" Dean called. He put the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter top. Gabriel smiled as his other favorite hunter entered the room. "Hey. You're back quick. No robbers this time?" Dean smiled. "Nope. And guess what... You were right!" Sam cocked his head. "About what?" Popping the milk into the fridge, Dean answered: "That old guy, that got held up last time, he gave me all this for free. And..." Grinning like a pumpkin he turned to his brother, who looked quizzically. "...he told me any pie I'd get there, would be on him!" Sam smiled. "You're kidding, right?" Dean almost skipped when he unpacked the pie and put it away. "Wouldn't dream of it, Sammy. Oh, by the way, I listened more carefully at what he said, and it was definitely something like 'vair trick'. And in the context, I'd say it is a kind of blessing or goodbye." Sam nodded, impressed. "Let's eat first, research later." Gabe frowned at the last bit. ' _Oh no... Why can't those two yahoos leave things alone?_ ' Sam started preparing a sandwich for him and his brother. "You know, I caught a case. Not that far from here too. Looks like ghost." Dean walked over. "Yeah? How'd you figure that? Awe no, man... No mustard!" Sam threw him a bitchface, never even pausing his work. "I know you hate mustard, Dean. This isn't yours. It's mine. That one is for you, cheese, bacon and pickles with mayo. There's been people getting killed, all in the same building. Doors bolted, windows latched. No prints on the scene, nothing but the victims. Whatever slices them up, it isn't a regular killer." Gabriel sat at the table, invisible, and admired how the brothers worked in sync. It was like watching a ballet with kitchen utensils. ' _They know exactly what the other does, where he is and how he will react. It's beautiful!_ ' Dean threw a tomato to Sam, who effordlessly plukked it out of the air, without averting his eyes from the slice of ham he was putting on his lettuce. "So, got a lead on who our mook is?" Dean asked, while he caught the mugs Sam shoved at him across the counter. "Not yet, but that won't take long, right?" Dean poured coffee and added milk and sugar for his brother. "I wouldn't be so sure, Sammy. Cut and dry cases rarely happen with us. You know that. " He carefully slid the mug back at Sam. He caught it and took a sip. "Aaaahhhh. Thanks Dean. Guess you're right. But one can hope... And we could ask Cas to come along, just in case." Dean took a large gulp of his black coffee. "Maybe. He's still a bit off though. That trip to Norway drained him. Odd thing that. Some mook lures him all the way out there, traps him in a Holy Fire circle, and then... Nothing. For two weeks. No action taken against us, no torture for him. Just leaving him there to rot. Doesn't make sense." Sam nodded and took a bite from his sandwich. "But he was out for like twelve hours. It did affect him in some way. I'm just glad he got out before he went down." Dean frowned. "Mmm. Me too. But that is why I think it's for the best if we keep him on stand-by. You know, pray him over if we need him. He should recover." Gabe felt his heart warm. Those muttonheads really cared for Cas. The brothers just sat and ate, and discussed the upcoming hunt. And Gabe felt increasingly uneasy about it. He decided he'd tag along for a bit.

Bobby sat in his chair, listening to the radio and reading a book, when the escape hatch to his heaven opened and Gabriel came in, hauling someone unconsious along. "What the HELL, Gabriel!" he yelled. Gabe looked over his shoulder at him. "Good. I could use your help here, Bobby. The guy is annoyingly tall to begin with, but all the pie and burgers add a lot of weight too." Bobby's breath hitched. "Is that... Dean?!" he asked, worried. When Gabe nodded, he rushed forward and grabbed the hunter's legs. "Next room, Angel. I have a cot there." Gabe backed into the appointed room and together they put Dean's limp body on the cot. His jeans were ripped and bloody and long scratches ran down his left thigh. "Is he..." Bobby started. Gabe shook his head. "I put him under. Physically he is only clawed. Nothing major has been nicked, so he should be fine, although I think he might want to clock me one, once he wakes up." Bobby shook his head. "Why would you wanna do that? He knows you, he'd have listened to ya." Gabe followed Bobby into the other room, and they sat down. "Well, I'm supposed to be dead, remember? So he would want explainations first, which would have taken too long, since they were on a hunt. They thought it was a simple salt 'n burn, but to me it just didn't feel like it was. So, I tagged along uninvited. Had to stay invisible, but that's just a minor inconvenience. We were barely at the scene, when something started clawing up the appartement. The boys grabbed some iron, and laid the saltlines, but that didn't hold long. Of course it wasn't a ghost, but they didn't know what it was. I could see it, and I could see it was after Dean. He was the one getting ripped up, so I pulled him out of the way. He wouldn't have left Sam behind, but he was safer than Dean would be if he stayed. Someone put a hellhound on his tail, and the mutt was hell-bent on getting him. I dropped a line to Cas, and he got Samsquatch out. Since a hellhound can't get into heaven, I hoped you could watch Dean-o, while I go and put a leash on the mutt, and it's master. I'll heal the cuts first."

Dean opened his eyes and saw painfully familiar, tacky wallpaper. "What the..." the hunter mumbled, confused. "Well, good morning, princess. Glad you're up." Dean whipped his head around. "BOBBY?! But.. But.. Oh no... Am I...?" He couldn't voice the question. Bobby sat on a chair, next to the cot. "Don't worry. You are fine. You can go back to your brother shortly." Dean struggled upright. "But, you... You are... Aren't you?" Bobby chuckled. "Yeah... Sadly I am. Life is getting a bit dull up here sometimes, but then Sam and Cas call me to help them jailbreak some scribe, or you get dropped in by someone, and then life gets to be a lot more interesting for a bit." Dean frowned. "Sam and Cas did what?" Bobby looked uneasy. "I take it your idjit brother didn't tell you, even afterwards? Well, what's done is done. They got the guy out, and at least Cas got his own grace back." Dean snorted. "So that's how that happened. I'll have to rip them a new one once I get back home. Speaking of..." He turned his green eyes on Bobby. "...how the hell did I get into your heaven? Last thing I remember, we were on a salt 'n burn. It turned ugly, as usual, and I felt something claw my leg..." His gaze shot to his leg, taking in the tattered and bloodstained jeans. "So that was true... No cuts or scars on me though... Did Cas drop me of here? What about Sammy?" Worried, he tried to stand, but Bobby held him down. "Settle down, Motherhen! It wasn't Cas that dropped you off. He got Sam out, what I heard." Dean narrowed his eyes, and they got a suspicious gleam. "Then who the hell did drop me off, Bobby? I didn't just decide to visit you, I know that for sure." Bobby scratched his neck. "Well now... I'm not entirely sure that's up to me to tell you, son..." All of a sudden Gabriel appeared in the room."That's ok, Bobby. I'll drop that bombshell for you." Dean jumped back on the cot. "GABRIEL?!?!" Gabe popped his ever present sucker out of his mouth and smiled. "Right you are, Dean-o! Surprised to see me?"

Dean got up menacingly. "You were dead... Cas saw the burnmarks from your wings. He was totally broken up about it for weeks, and you're telling me it was a HOAX?!" Gabe backed up a bit. "Easy there, big guy. First of all, I died. Yes I did." he added, seeing the incredulous look in Dean's eyes. "But, like it happened with Cas before, I was fixed. Can't tell you more than that. As I heard, neither could Castiël on the occasions he died. When I found myself all back to normal, I decided on another career change. I became a guardianangel. That's right: I have been keeping an eye out for certain people, including my baby brother, and you and Samsquatch too. This hunt tingled my spidersense, so to speak. So I tagged along for a bit. Glad I did, too. Apparently, that short time you were batting for the other team, you managed to piss off some demons, and one of them set a hellhound on you. Let it claw up some residents in that appartement building, so you and Sammy would get wind of it, and come check it out. I got you, just before it went for the kill. I dropped a line to Cas, pretending to be you, so he could get your baby bro out." Dean had sat back down and fidgeted with his torn jeansleg during this speech. When Gabe had finished, he got up and clapped him on the shoulder. "I don't know what to say, man. Thanks... I guess we owe you big time." Gabriel smiled. "No, you don't. You once reminded me of what was really important, then you saved the world, umpteen times, I might add. You just make sure I don't need to neglect my other charges because of you." He winked at Dean. "I fried the mutt and it's mook master, so it'll be safe for you to go home. Want to say goodbye to Bobby, before I windex this all from your brain?" Dean threw him a pleading look. "Do you have to? I mean... I'd like to remember my guardianangel..." He looked at Gabe with a mischeivous twinkle in his amazingly green eyes. Gabe chuckled. "Sorry, bucko. Maybe some other day. Go hug your surrogate Dad, before we zap home." Dean turned to Bobby and, uncharacteristicly, hugged him tight. "Thanks, Bobby... For everything... Ever. The Trickster is right. You've been more my Dad, than my real Dad ever was." Bobby hugged Dean back. "You and Sam, you were my boys. And I'm glad I adopted you both." Both men had moist eyes when they broke apart. Gabe ran a finger over his eye. "Come on, bucko, time to get your 6'1" ass back home and your memory modified. Oh! Just to make things more real..." He snapped his fingers, and black, stinking goo drenched Dean from head to toe. "What the..." the hunter started. "Hellhound blood. You're going to have to look like you killed it. After all, you did, after it had dragged you off." Dean wiped the smelly gunk out of his eyes and glared at Gabriel, who merely grinned and snapped his fingers again. They vanished, leaving Bobby behind to mop up the blood that had spilled from Dean onto the floor.


	11. Sam

Gabriel was worried. He had quite a few close calls with the Winchesters, having to wipe the memory of both Castiël and Dean, yet he couldn't stay away from them. Cas was his baby brother, so it was logical for him to watch out for him, but the Winchesters, they were nothing to him. Still he felt like they were his friends. Mostly because they were Cas' best friends and therefore Gabe liked them, but their joined adventures had made him love the brothers even better. They were loyal to a fault and would die for whomever they called friends or family. And now he found Sam wandering off from the bunker, just to roam the woods around Lebanon. It seemed he was looking for solitude, but Gabe couldn't help but feel there was more to it. He discussed it with his Father, who agreed that Gabe needed to find out what was eating Sam. So he kept an eye on the 6'4" hunter as he lumbered through the woods, full bottle of Jack in his hand. ' _Woo boy... You aren't just going for a walk, are you, Sammy?_ ' Gabe thought. He saw how Sam purposely made his way towards the edge of a nearby lake, sat down and just took a large sip straight from the bottle. Gabe carefully got closer and watched the hunter intensely. His shoulders drooped and his eyes looked sad. Today they looked grey, apparently matching Sam's mood. Gabe knew he'd have to do something. An unhappy Winchester was a liability during hunts. He decided to get involved.

Sam's head snapped around when he heard someone approaching. Through the undergrowth, he saw a man coming towards him. Short, dark hair, with a scruffy beard and light hazel eyes. Like Sam he was clothed in faded jeans, a t-shirt and a plaid flannel shirt. Sam thought he might be a hunter, but if he hunted Bambi or something way more dangerous, that remained to be seen. The man looked up, and surprisingly, he seemed to smile, before deadpanning and clearing his throat. "Well, hey there." he said. "Didn't know there was someone else around. You hunting?" The man seemed friendly enough, but Sam stayed on his guard. "No, just sitting here, thinking about stuff, you know." When the guy came up to Sam, he noticed that he wasn't very tall. The guy tilted his head, noticing the bottle next to Sam's knee. "Heavy stuff, I gather from your companion there." Sam ruefully smirked. "Yeah. I guess."

' _Oh Sammy... Come on. Open up, dude..._ ' Gabe pleaded silently. He took a chance. "Allright. I'll be going then. Leave you to it. Unless..." He tilted his head once more, locking his eyes on Sam's sad, grey ones. "... you need some advice from a complete stranger."

Sam looked into the stranger's eyes, noticing they looked like they had seen way more than his young appearance would merit. He was somehow reminded of the Trickster, and that made him trust the guy. "Well..." he found himself saying. "... I need to know first: are you a hunter?" The guy gestured to is outfit. "What do you think?" Sam looked him straight in the eye. "I mean a. Hunter." he said, emphasising the last word. "Smart, aren't you? Yeah. I am. Thought I caught a case around here. A wendigo or a werewolf I think." Sam smiled. "There was a rogue hellhound, a while back. But don't worry, we took care of that." The other man raised his eyebrows. "We?" "Yeah, me and my brother, we..." The man did a double take. "Brother? You are one of the Winchesters, aren't you?" Sam smiled. "You are quick. Yes I am. I'm Sam. And you are?"

Gabe enjoyed Sam's quick wittedness. "My name is Gabe. Gabriel Deldios. I know. My Father was very religious. He thought naming me after an Archangel would protect me in life." He twitched his mouth wryly. "And then he disappeared. Guess he could've used the protection, right? And it was nothing natural too. So I tried to find how he had gone. Still haven't found him though." Sam looked sympathetic. ' _Small wonder. It's almost his own story I'm plagerising._ ' "And you decided the best way to find him was by becoming a hunter? How did you even find out about this life?" Sam asked. "Well, I knew some guys that hunted." Sam raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? Who?" "Gordon Walker." Sam wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I know. He was one crazy SOB. Guess he was bound to end up like he did, always hunting fangs. Never found out who Columbian necktied him." Sam coughed embarrased. "Me, actually. He was trying to kill Dean and me. So I had to." It almost sound like an appology. "Of course you had to. He was a vampire, dude. He'd have either killed you or turned you. Neither way is good. Any way, the other one was Martin, before he went cuckoo. I heard he got out eventually. Never knew what happened to him." Sam looked down. "I do. He went back to hunting and he messed with a vampire. The fang was actually being good, drinking bottled blood or animals, but Martin didn't believe him and threatened to kill the guy's great granddaughter. He didn't take that very well. What I heard from Dean, it was bloody." Gabe knew full well what had happened, and he thought Martin had been stupid. Dean had warned him, time and again. "That was stupid. I guess the nuthouse must have rusted him. He never was the sharpest tool in the drawer. A good hunter, but not one of the smarter ones." Gabe cocked his head at Sam. "You knew him?" Sam looked away again. "We hunted a wraith together, in the nuthouse he was in. Our Dad knew him better." Gabe thought he had hit the raw nerve. "You know, I think we might have a drink with your pal Jack there, in honour of all those fallen comrads, like Martin and your Dad. Not Walker though... I never really liked him." Sam huffed something like a laugh. "Sure. Why not."

He grabbed the bottle and offered it to Gabe. The Archangel took it and raised it in a salute. "Here's to all our fallen comrades! May you be happy wherever they took you." He took a swig, but careful not to make it too big. He remembered the monumental hangover he had from his day at Bobby's. He bet the boys learned from their surrogate Dad. He handled the bottle back to Sam, who copied his movement and added: "Here's to all their mistakes being forgiven." Sam took a swig too, much larger than Gabe's, and stared over the lake. "You know, Dean and I had a ghost haunting a lake once, way back when. It took several lives before we found out what it was. Sadly we couldn't do much, but let it have it's revenge. We couldn't get to it's bones. They were gone. Some stupid prank gone too far, and the kids tried to cover it up. It worked for decades, but then it got awoken, and it wanted payback. What if some things are just accidents gone wrong?" He sighed and took another swig, before offering Gabe the bottle again. "You know... before all the demons and angels got involved, hunting was easy. A wendigo here, a ghost there... But now we're up to our eyebrows in Christian mythology, and not half of it is even written down anymore. I'm legit scared, Gabe." Gabe took the bottle in silence and drank a sip. "Sounds to me, like your lives are even more screwed up than mine... What are you even saying? Angels? Are you serious?" Sam took back the bottle and drank deeply. "Deadly. And they aren't all sweetness and light either. Most of them just don't care, others are true dickbags. Some are ok, like the Archangel you are named after. He was ok. A bit of a prankster and a scaredy cat, but in the end he came through... Too bad it got him killed." Sam drank again, then whispered: "Like most decent guys we meet." Gabe threw him a shrewd look. "And that is why you're here with your friend, Jack?" Sam took his 'friend Jack' and downed some more. "I don't know what you're talking about." he said gruffly. "Come on, Sam... You're feeling guilty. For all those decent guys that didn't make it. You know that is not on you, right?" Sam looked at him. "You sound like him, you know." Gabe cocked his head. "Like who?" Sam drank some more. "Gabriel. The Archangel, the Trickster, Loki. Whatever name you wanna tack on him. I liked him, even though he threatened to trap us in TV land, and even though he killed Dean over a hundred times once. He helped us tremendously when push came to shove." More Jack down the hatch. "And he was funny. I miss him. Isn't that weird? He messed with me and Dean like no business, but we'd meet by chance about every once in a year. If he were here right now, I'd even forgive him for hitting me in the junk at that gameshow." Gabe chuckled. "Laugh it up, chuckles. Your namesake was a real troublemaker." Sam looked at the lake again and raised the bottle to his lips.

The sun hit the half empty bottle of Jack, as Sam lifted it. He paused, staring at it. "You know, his eyes had this colour. The colour of sunshine through whiskey." He turned his head towards Gabe. It lolled a bit. "Woah, buddy. I think you're a bit sauced, there." Sam tilted his head in an adorably drunk manner. "I'll be fine. You know, you really, really sound a lot like him." His eyes, now a hazy greenish colour, locked onto Gabe's. Gabe felt a surge of affection. That big guy with his soft heart had really gotten to him. "Well, maybe that means I'm a decent guy too." He winked, his eyes twinkling. Sam's eyes widened. "GABRIEL?!" Gabe blinked. "What?" Sam lunged at him drunkily. "You son of a bitch! You were dead! Cas mourned you, still does, and now you are here, alive and well? You utter, utter BASTARD!" Gabe nimbly jumped out of his reach. "Two things, bucko... A: I am not dead, and B: you are so drunk that you think I'm some Archangel, that you are clearly mourning, not this Cas, whoever she is." Sam stood up, swaying. "You asshat! You complete and utter dick! You know damn well who Cas is. A: Your eyes, Gabriel, your eyes gave you away. You can change appearance, but you can't change the nature of your eyes. They are sunshine-through-whiskey colour and have a certain twinkle when you are being mischeivous. And B: You just called me bucko... Nobody I ever met, except the Trickster, has used that specific word. You are the Trickster! I might be drunk, but I'm not stupid, Gabe." Gabe sighed and dropped the disguise. "I knew it." Sam just said. He flopped back on the pineneedles, and finished the bottle. "Cas really misses you, Gabe. He thinks he hides it well, but he rarely mentions you, and when he does, it's like Dean talking about Mom or Dad. Short and clipped, as if talking too long will reopen the wound, slashed by Death." Gabe sat down next to Sam, and patted his knee. "I'm sorry Samsquatch. I really am. I wish this was different, and I would love to go traipsing around with you guys and my baby brother. Dad knows I miss him too. But I have other things to do, and I'm best off presumed dead, so I can do them without being hindered." Sam looked Gabe in the eyes again. "Crap... I'm too drunk, Gabe. I'm going to pass out sooner or later and wake up with a gigantic hangover, but without any memory of this... Convenient for you, huh?" He leaned over and Gabriel patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe, but I like this too, Sammy. I think you, Dean and me, we could have been friends." Sam leaned into Gabe, turning the pat on the shoulder into half a hug. "I'd like to think so too, Gabe. I really like you. I wish you could stay." Like a child, he snuggled against Gabriel's chest and mumbled: "I missed your silly tricks, Gabe." Gabe smiled. "I messed a little with you and Dean, just a while back." Sam opened his eyes. "I knew I didn't eat those candybars! And the smokes for Dean?" Gabe chuckled. "Yup. I just couldn't resist." Sam chuckled too. "You assbutt..." he mumbled. "Come on, Samsquatch, you'd better get your big butt back home to sleep off that buzz. Out here you'll get too cold." Sam pushed himself upright. "You're right." He looked up at Gabe with a drunk version of his prized puppyeyes. "Zap me home?" Gabe smiled. "Of course, you big teddybear. C'mere." He pulled Sam into a hug and snapped his fingers. Just to be safe, he did modify Sam's memory.


	12. Recollections

It was a quiet day at the bunker. Dean was washing Baby, Sam was catalogueing artefacts and Cas was reading some lorebook or other. The weather was mild and Team Free Will decided to have lunch 'al fresco'. Sam lugged out an old table and some chairs, while Dean made some cold salads and sandwiches. Cas set the table and they enjoyed a rare day of normality. They lounged about, swapping stories. Later that evening, they were still sitting outside, enjoying the warm evening air. Cas read another book and the brothers were drinking a cold beer. Dean leaned back and said: "Ya know, Sammy, I'm glad your bout of the sullens has cleared. We were getting a little worried, weren't we, Cas?" Dean cocked an eye at the angel, who was sitting in just his shirt sleeves, first two buttons undone and his tie still loose around his neck. Cas nodded. "Dean is right. That day you came back home totally inibriated, we were about to set out on a search for you and do a... What was the phrase? ... An intervention." Sam threw them one of his classic bitchfaces, but Cas just turned a leaf in his book and Dean merely stated: "Oh nice one Sammy! A Sam Winchester Original." He winked at his kid brother and took a sip of his beer. "You know, I still wonder what happened to you that day. You were Gloomy Gus for weeks, and on that day you come home completely plastered, cradling an empty bottle of Jack as if it's your love child. You mumble something unintelligeble about sunshine and whiskey before you pass out. Which almost cost me my back, since you just keeled over into my arms." Cas glanced up from his book. "You're overexaggerating, Dean. You stopped Sam from hitting the floor, after which I transported him onto his bed." Sam snorted. "Hah! So that's the truth behind that one." Dean threw Cas a look, but he was engrossed in his book again. "Anyway, after you're recovered from the monumental hangover, you're right as rain, as if you have just shaken the gloom off." Cas looked up. "You can't shake gloom off, Dean. It's intangible." Sam smiled. "It's a manner of saying, Cas. But to answer you question, Dean... I have no idea. You know that when I'm that drunk all that I can remember afterwards is what I ate, because that is what I'm flushing down the toilet. I only know that the reason I was so... down, so to speak, was because... I... I... I don't know..." He frowned, confused. Cas actually put his book down and frowned. "This is one too many times that I find our recollection of things a bit unsatisfactory."

The brothers frowned and looked at their friend, waiting for more. Cas sat back in his chair, letting the last rays of sun play with his dark hair. "Let's start with me. My disastrous trip to Norway." Dean winced. He could still remember his buddy appearing in his bedroom, passed out from the effort to get home. "What about it? Aside from it being a disaster." Sam glared at his brother. He too remembered how Cas had been out cold for almost twelve hours. But Cas didn't mind. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about my escape seems off. I can remember it clearly, yet almost too clearly." Sam frowned. "How do you mean?" Cas vaguely gestured with his hands. "I was trapped in that ring of Holy Fire for quite some time. And I know that it drained my Grace slowly. So the longer I was trapped, the less clear my recollection is, until that blonde brute decided to check on me and thought I could use a drink of water. From that very moment on, my memory is clear as a crystal." Sam pursed his lips and nodded, while Dean frowned. "That is strange..." he agreed. Cas turned towards him. "Then there's you." he stated. "Me? What's wrong with me?" Dean asked, alarmed. "That hellhound you two went after, a few weeks ago. There's loads of things odd. More odd than usual with you two." Sam raised his eyebrows and Dean looked mildly offended. "I mean, you call me in, telling me it's a hellhound, and it had knocked Sam out. Odd enough on it's own, they usually go for the throat after that." Dean shrugged and took a swig of beer. "I distracted it before it could." Cas looked doubtful, but he let it pass. "When I arrive, and, mind you, it is but moments from you praying to me, you and the beast are gone. So I got Sam out of there and healed him. For hours we hear nothing, then you turn up at the bunker, covered in hellhound blood, claiming to have killed it." Dean sat up. " I did gank that fugly monster. Wasn't easy too." he said indignantly.

Cas tilted his head. "Did you? But that aside, your jeans were ripped and bloody, but you didn't have a scratch, not even a bruise. Yet Sam told me that the beast had clawed you good." Sam and Dean exchanged looks. "That is odd." Sam admitted. "And how did you and that thing get out even before Cas arrived? Something doesn't add up." Dean thoughtfully drank from his beer. "And now Sammy doesn't remember why he was in the dumps for weeks on end. You, my friend are right." he said, pointing the neck of his bottle towards the angel. "There is something rotten in Denmark." Cas smirked. "Thank you, Hamlet." Sam shook his head. "I'm still not used to you being pop savvy." he said. Dean nodded. "One day I'll bump into that little troll, Metatron, and then I'll gank his ass." Cas frowned at that. "I know, I know. You'd rather I didn't." Dean said placatingly. "Enough angels have been killed. I know. But he is the one exception to that rule, in my book." Cas shook his head. "It's not that, Dean. The phrasing... It sounded familiar, like I heard it before, but not from you..." He pondered it, but couldn't remember. Eventually he gave up. "Anyway, I think we should pay a bit more attention to details, and compare stories, just to see if any other recollections are off." Dean agreed wholeheartedly. "Good idea. I don't like being screwed with. You, Sammy?" Sam smiled, but it was a cold smile. "No way." After that they went quiet. Cas picked up his book and started to read again. After a while his face grew sad, and he sighed a few times. "Must be a good book." Sam whispered to Dean. "He hasn't gotten emotional about any others, as far as I know." Dean made a sturgeon face. "Must be." Sam got up and walked into the bunker. He returned with a lantern and his laptop and sat down. "Might as well do some research." he answered Dean's look. After that they sat in the gathering dusk in comfortable silence. Sam's fingers tapping the keys, Cas turning a page every now and then, and Dean just sitting there and sipping his beer.

"Hey, Dean, remember that salute the old man gave you at the store?" Dean looked at his brother, sitting behind his laptop. "Yeah, vair trick or something like that. What about it?" Sam tapped a few keys and turned his laptop around, so Dean could see the screen. "Turns out I was right. It's Scandinavian. To be precise, it's..." "Norwegian. It means 'stay safe'." Cas interupted. "Pronounced Vær trygg." The brothers gaped at him. "Exactly how that guy said it. You know Norwegian?" Dean asked astounded. Cas looked at him with a sad glint in his blue eyes. "No." he said softly. "I remember Gabriel telling me." Sam looked at him with understanding in his eyes and Dean grabbed his hand on the table. "It's ok, buddy." Cas nodded and returned to his book. Sam and Dean exchanged another look, one that said: "Let's keep an eye on him. He's hurting." After a while, Sam stood up and grabbed the now empty beer bottles. "Want another one, Dean? Or should I break out the scotch?" Dean smirked. "As long as you don't start rambling about sunshine and whiskey again..." Sam opened his mouth for a retort, but they were interupted by Cas dropping his book. "What was that?" he asked urgently. Dean looked at him questioningly. "Sunshine and whiskey, remember? Sammy's drunken ramblings?" Cas' eyes grew wide and he grabbed his book and hurridly started turning pages, mumbling "Sunshine and whiskey, sunshine and whiskey." The brothers looked at eachother and shrugged simultaniously.

"Oh my Dad!" Cas exclaimed. "Sunshine through whiskey... That conniving, sneaky..." He slammed the book down on the table, pointing at a sentence on the page. "Look. Gabriel! His eyes. You thought his eyes looked like sunshine through a glass of whiskey, Sam." Sam blinked. "Wha? What are you on about? Wait... Are you reading Chuck?" Cas blushed. "Well, yes. I thought it might give me a better insight into your erm... way of thinking." Dean tugged the book towards him and read in the light of the lantern. "I still can't stomach this, but he is right. 'The janitor looked at them and Sam thought: He has interesting eyes, like sunshine through a glass of whiskey. That's something you don't see often.' Hah!" Dean lowered the book and smirked. "Did you have a crush on him, Sammy?" Sam's eyes shot fire. "No! I did notice it, and I did think.. That." He gestured at the book. "But only because hiding would be difficult with such a distinctive eye colour." Dean looked unconvinced, but Cas piped up. "It's true, Dean. The next sentence says so." Dean threw Cas a look. "Spoilsport." he chided. "But still, what has you all in a pretzel?" Cas waved the book around. "Don't you see? The odd memories... The Norwegian, the weird lapses in our stories... Almost as if we're being toyed with." The brothers looked at eachother and in unison they said: "Trickster!!" Suddenly, as if the simultaniously spoken word was a spell, the table between them collapsed under the weight of a body that landed on it. The brothers saw a hint of bloodied, caramel coloured hair between the remnants of their furniture. Then Cas knelt down and exclaimed: "Gabriel!!! Sam, Dean! He's hurt! He's unconscious!"


	13. Dancing with the demons

Gabe sat at his desk, when he saw something off on one of his monitors. ' _Oh, for the love of Dad! How did those mooks find her?_ ' The house of one of his charges was slowly, but surely being surrounded by four demons. Gabe snapped his fingers and appeared in her livingroom. "What the Hell? Who are you mister? How did you get in here?" Gabe sighed. Those inevitable questions... He dealt with it the easiest way he knew. "No time, Adrienne. I am Gabriel, yes, that one." he said to the startled woman, and he popped out his golden wings. Adrienne gasped and fainted. ' _Even better._ ' Gabe thought and he took on her form, then zapped her safely to her mother's house, three states over. Just in time too. The demons came through the back door as Gabe pretended to do the dishes. "Hello pretty!" one of them drawled. "Our boss would like a little chat with you." Gabe dropped the plate he was holding, and took on a fighting stance. "Really? Well, tell your boss that he can sit on it and twirl. I'm not coming with you." He let his Archangelblade drop into his hand and raised it for the demon to see. It hissed. "Now how did a pretty little lady like you, get her hands on such a big knife?" The other three guffawed. "Comes with the territory. Now I'd advice you to amscray or pay the price for messing with me." The demons circled him and he was about to go Biblical on them, when he heard his Father's voice ring in the depths of his mind. "Gabe, son. Let the last one catch you. We need to know what Crowley knows about your special charges." Gabe threw his blade from hand to hand. ' _Awe, really Dad? I wanted some action. I'm still a warrior._ ' God chuckled. "Yes, son, really. Fight good, but lose, allright?" Gabe nodded and lashed out at the first demon, neatly slicing it's throat. Satisfaction surged through his veins. ' _I'll come, but not quietly._ ' Gabe thought grimly. The demon that was obviously in charge, kept back as Gabe dispatched his other two goons in a pitched battle. "Well now, little lady. Where did you learn to fight like that? The boss said you'd be easy prey." Gabe smirked. "Looks like your boss has faulty info, bucko. I can fight well enough." He noticed the demon curling his hand around a cast iron fryingpan. ' _Oh hell no. That'll give me a headache. UGH! For that, he deserves a nick on the cheek._ ' He lunged forward and scratched the demon across it's cheek with the very tip of his blade, right from the ear to nearly the corner of the mouth. Gabe grinned at it in satisfaction, consciously letting down his guard. The demon snarled and swung. Gabe heard the gloioioinnnngg of the fryingpan hitting his head and all went dark.

Gabe woke up with a splitting headache, as he had expected. ' _Oh my Father.... That mook has a wicked swing. Bet I have one whopping concussion now._ ' He tried to feel his head, but couldn't move his hands. "Well now... Look who decided to wake up." Gabe opened his eyes and even the low light made his head feel like a dozen dull knives were stabbing it. He moaned and raised his head a bit, ignoring the nausea. "I told you our boss wanted a chat. Should've come quietly." the demon gloated. Gabe glared at it. "But then I wouldn't have had the pleassure of improving your face..." he retorted. Satisfaction spread through Gabe as he saw the angry red line on the demon's cheek. The demon raised it's hand to slap Gabe, but a voice stopped him. "Now then, Alastor. Don't have all the fun by yourself." Another demon stepped into Gabe's sight. Gabe snorted. "You're not the boss." he said with disdain. The demon looked taken aback. "What do you know?" it demanded, while Alastor sniggered. "I just know. You. Are not. The boss. Want me to talk, get me the real boss." Gabe hung his head again, as the nausea flared up. ' _Yup, definitely a concussion.'_ he thought. "Told you she's a fiesty one, Nybbas." Alastor piped up. Nybbas snarled at him and smacked Gabe across the face with the back of his hand. "We'll make her change that tone then." Gabe felt blood trickle down his cheek. ' _That bastard! He's wearing a ring..._ ' His cheek throbbed along with his head now and he fought to stay awake. "Good one, Nybbas. That'll teach her to cut people's faces open." Alastor called. Nybbas chuckled. "Glad you like it, Alastor. What's your name, bitch?" Gabe spat at him. "Not talking. Not the boss, not talking." Nybbas slapped him again, slicing another cut just below the first one. "Now, Nybbas, that is no way of behaving." a smooth voice interupted. Nybbas and Alastor stepped back like they had been stung. "I do believe the young lady asked to see the boss. Besides, you are not even asking the right questions. We know her name, you twat. It's Adrienne, isn't it?" Crowley stepped upto Gabe and looked at him. His eyes grew wider. "Alastor, Nybbas, leave. Now!" he snapped. The demons bowed and backed out the room.

Crowley took Gabe's chin in his hand and turned his head left to right, examining him intensely. "What are you?" he whispered. "You're no angel, yet I can see Grace in you..." Gabe tried to free his head. "How would you know I'm not an angel?" Crowley sniggered and finally let go. "I've been watching you since your miraculous escape from that vampire. You were just a human, darling. But I think someone upstairs is watching over you." Gabe smirked, in spite of his throbbing head. "Right." Crowley tilted his head. Contrary to Cas' adorable head tilt, Crowley looked cocky and full of sass when he did it. "Yes, sweetheart, I think so." He walked towards a table in the corner and picked up something. "Where else would you get this?" he asked and turned Gabe's Archangelblade over in his hand. "And then there's that hint of Grace in you... You are intrigueing, my dear." Glad that his Father's new disguise muffled his Grace enough to keep even Crowley from recognising it, Gabe gathered it and quietly unlocked the shackles from his wrists. "Am I?" Gabe asked Crowley softly, and zapped himself directly in front of him. Crowley gasped. "That's impossible! How did you...?" he started. Gabe smiled threateningly and resumed his own form, uncloaking his Grace in one go. "Those shackles aren't meant to hold an Archangel, are they, Crowley?" Crowley stepped back, gasping: "Gabriel..." Gabe's smile widened. "Yes... Me. I believe that's my blade, demon." He held out his hand and Crowley quickly dropped the blade in it. Gabe nearly dropped it, and Crowley smirked. "Not quite on full power, Gabriel?" he snarkilly asked. Gabe glared at him. "I'm going to erase this from your memory, Crowley. You accidently killed Adrienne before she could talk. Tough luck there, Bud." He put his hand on Crowley's head.

After he wiped Crowley's memory and modified it, he went to the real Adrienne, instilled fake memories in her and her mother's head and erased all traces of his fight in her kitchen. After that he felt his head spin. ' _Oh my Dad... That was a bit too much. I need Grace, to get rid of this concussion._ ' He reached inside for his Grace, but he found next to none. ' _Oh crap... That won't work. I can't even get home on this.'_ Then it hit him. ' _Cas... He can help me. I can pop to Lebanon, I think. I'll pop up just outside that lair of theirs._ ' He snapped his fingers, but when he materialised, he felt his body crash into something solid. After that the world turned black.

He heard a beloved, gravelly voice call out: "Gabriel!!! Sam, Dean! He's hurt! He's unconscious!" Cas! Gabe wanted to reassure him he was ok, but he couldn't open his eyes. "Holy Hell. He looks terrible! Let's bring him inside, then you can patch him up." a gruff voice said. Dean... Gabe felt arms shoved under his armpits. "Carefully now. That head injury looks nasty. He might have a concussion." Sam... Gabe felt more hands grab his legs and he was lifted up. His head lolled around and he moaned. It felt like it would drop off. "This isn't working. Sammy, can you carry him alone?" Dean asked. A derissive snort. "Of course. That dude is tiny for such an allpowerfull being." Sam scoffed. ' _Hey_!' They gently laid him back down, and he felt himself being scooped up like a little child, cradled in Sam's big arms. He felt Sam walking, but he wasn't even jiggled and Gabe gladly slid back into the darkness.

Cool fingers on his forehead. The feeling of Grace, running through his body. Not his own though. Gabe reached for it. Cas! He felt a surge of happiness and opened his eyes. He stared straight into his baby brother's cerulean eyes. "Hello, Gabriel." Cas said distantly. "You have some explaining to do, Trickster..." Dean stood at the foot of the bed where Gabe was laying, arms folded over his chest. ' _Oh my Father... Now what do I do?_ '


	14. Facing ones self

"Dean, Sam, Cas... Please, let me explain." Gabe pleaded. His head still pounded and he had a hard time forming thoughts and words. Around his bed stood Sam, with a reserved expression on his face, and Dean, with a rather pissed off one on his. Cas sat on the edge, his face unreadable. "How long, Gabriel?" he asked, disappointment colouring his voice. "Wha? What do you mean?" Cas frowned, even more disappointed. "What he means, asshat, how long have you been pulling our strings?" Dean intervened. Gabe winced. "It wasn't like that, guys, believe me." Sam crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Really? Then what? You needed to mess with us, then erase it?" Gabe's head was swimming. "No, no... I... I..." He saw Cas tilt his head in a worried manner. Then the world went hazy and ulitimately faded into black oblivian.

"What the Hell, Cas? I thought you healed him?" Dean asked, but he sounded worried. Cas put his fingers on Gabriel's forehead. "I did... It seems the symptoms are not caused by physical trauma." His deep blue eyes looked worried and he kept his fingers pressed to Gabe's forehead. "So what? The symptoms are psychosomatic?" Sam asked. "Is that even possible for an Angel?" Cas looked up, his blue eyes desperate. "I don't know." Dean stepped next to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll keep him here, until he's back to his annoying little self." Cas looked up thankfully. "And then we'll roast him for messing with us!" Cas smiled, but he still kept his hand on his brother's head. Sam sat down on the other side of the bed. "Of course we'll take care of him. He's your brother. Even if he's an annoying little asshat. Besides..." Dean looked at him questioningly. "... I must admit, I kinda like him." Deans eyebrows threatened to disappear in his hair. "Excuse me?" Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I do. He can be a little shit sometimes, but he came through in the end, and we owe him that." Dean nodded. "Can't fault you there. I actually like his style too. When we're not the ones being had that is. " Cas smiled at his friends. So easily as they accepted his brother. "You know, I remember Gabriel telling me something about the human body once. He said that not all pain is physical. If a human gets emotionally hurt enough, the body will shut down. Was he telling the truth?" Dean widened his eyes. He suddenly remembered Cas sinking in a dead faint after he found him sobbing like a child and repeating : "It can't be him." He swallowed hard. "Ehm, Cas, when did he tell you that?" Cas turned his deep blue eyes on Dean's jade ones. "I... I honestly can't remember exactly when. I just remember him telling me." He frowned in confusion. "Like the Norwegian blessing, actually." Dean rubbed his mouth in a signature move. He was thinking deeply. "Allright. Come on, Sam. We'll leave the angelbro's alone for a bit." Sam nodded, patted Cas on his knee and followed his older brother outside.

Sam was passing the guest bedroom where they had put Gabe, when he heard the deep voice of Castiël. He was singing.

"Believe it or not,  
I'm walking on air.  
I never thought I could feel so free.  
Flying away on a wing and a prayer.  
Who could it be?  
Believe it or not it's just me."

Sam's mouth curled in a tender smile. ' _Awe. That is cute! I hope Gabriel hears it._ ' The door to the room opened and Cas stepped out. He jumped when he saw Sam. "Oh, Sam. I didn't hear you. Have you found anything about what could be wrong with Gabriel?" Sam shook his head softly. "Sorry, Cas. But I think that your singing might help him wake up. But why Joey Scarbury?" Cas actually blushed a bit. "I.. Er.. I sang that once, when I was babysitting for my manager at the Gas-'n-sip. The little girl seemed to like it." Sam patted his shoulder. "That's ok, buddy. I'm sure Gabe liked it too. Why don't you and Dean go out for supplies, and I will look after your brother for a bit." Cas looked thoughtful. "If you're sure. It might distract me for a bit." He left Sam to sit next to Gabe and he went looking for Dean.

Gabriel was sitting under a starry sky and wondered what he was doing there. He couldn't remember how or why he got there. ' _Well, with all that I have been through lately, this is just the cherry on the cake, isn't it?_ ' he thought bitterly. ' _I'm actually fed up with things. I hate having to lie to Cas and the Winchesters, and I hate it even more to have to toy with their memories._' He felt his eyes sting. All the emotions that rolled over him just knocked him flat on his back, litterally. He let himself fall down and he cried. He cried for his brother, having to mourn him, while he was still alive, he cried for the times he had to lie to him and his friends. And he cried for himself, because he all of a sudden felt utterly alone. He rolled over onto his side, and curled up like a child, wrapping his golden wings around him. "Well now, Gabriel. Look at you. Crying like a whiny baby." He looked up and saw himself, but he thought he was kinder. This version of him was about as soft as granite. "Huh, Excuse you." Gabe huffed, sitting up and drying his eyes. "Guess you don't care about Cas or his friends, right?" His other self sneered. "They can fend for themselves, can't they?" Gabe felt anger rising. "You really are an angel, aren't you?" The other Gabriel let his Archangelblade slip into his hand. "Darn right, bucko. And you can choose now. Either you fight me, and when you win you can leave here... Lose, or don't fight, and you'll stay here." Gabe cocked his head. "And where exactly is here?" He kept his eyes on the prowling double. "You, mr. Emoboy, are in your own head. After your crashlanding at the bunker, you retreated here, to avoid confronting the Hardy boys and our baby bro." He swished the blade around. "You're scared..." he sneered. Gabe sat there, eyeing his opponent. ' _I could just stay here... I wouldn't cause any more harm to Cas, Sam and Dean. Besides I like watching the stars._ ' The double threw his blade from hand to hand, impatiently pacing around. "What'll it be, bucko? Flee, or fight? You can bet our bro doesn't care." Gabriel wanted to tell him otherwise, but then he remembered the distance Cas had kept and the disappointment in his face and voice. Gabe opened his mouth to tell the guy to buzz off, that he was staying, when clear as a bell, a voice rang out over the field. It was deep and gravelly, and it was singing.

"Look at what's happened to me,  
I can't believe it myself.  
Suddenly I'm up on top of the world,  
It should've been somebody else.

Believe it or not,  
I'm walking on air.  
I never thought I could feel so free-.  
Flying away on a wing and a prayer.  
Who could it be?  
Believe it or not it's just me"

Gabriel felt his eyes tear up and yet his heart leapt with joy. Cas! He did care! He leapt up and tackled his nemesis. They went down like a tree and Gabe managed to get his hands on the blade. "Guess what, bucko. Our brother cares. He is singing for us, while he rarely sings. He wants me to wake up. I'm going back." His opponent smiled. "Good for you, sport, but you've got to beat me first. I'm older than you. You, Emoboy, you only hatched after centuries of living with the humans. I'm first press. I'm the original works. Besides, baby bro could just be singing for the fun of it." Gabriel aired a blow at his grinning face, but his nemesis rolled his head sideways. "And even if Cassie-dearest does care, his friends hate your guts." An evil grin played around his mouth. "You're lying! Sam cares! He said he missed me!" This time Gabe's aim was true and blood splattered from a split lip. "Who says he wasn't on to you from the start?" Gabe growled like an angry wolf. "I'm going to make you pay for this." They rolled around, grunting and aiming blows at eachother.


	15. Exchanging blows

Sam sat in a chair next to Gabriel's bed and read a book. Suddenly Gabriel started tossing and turning, moaning softly. "Heyheyhey..." Sam rushed over to Gabe's side. "Come on, buddy... Calm down. Please." he pleaded, but Gabe kept rolling his head around on the pillow. Sam put his large, slender hand on Gabe's shoulder. Gabe whined, as if it hurt him "Gabriel, please, come home. Fight this thing, whatever it is. Cas needs you, man. He's missed you so much." He cleared his throat. "I have missed you too. I missed your goofy stunts. Come on, Gabe..." he pleaded, shifting his hand from Gabe's shoulder to his cheek. "If you come out of this, I'll even forgive you for the Japanese gameshow thing." Gabriel stopped thrashing around, but his hair was dripping with sweat and blood trickled out the corner of his mouth. Concerned, Sam got a wet cloth and wiped Gabriel's mouth and brow. "Would you like me to sing, like Cas did? I'm no Pavarotti, but I can carry a tune, somewhat."

Gabe and his nemesis were fighting like mad and both tried to get the upperhand. "You know Sam hates you, Emoboy..." the nemesis teased. "You killed his brother, over and over and over, and then you only brought Dean back because you got tired of the game." Gabe swung a punch and broke other's nose. He lost the Angelblade and blood poured down over his chin, into the open collar of his blouse. "Freaking liar!!" Gabe spat. "I know my real intentions and they were pure!" The nemesis grinned evily. "You do, but Sammy doesn't..." Gabe roared with anger and threw himself on his opponent. They rolled over and over, but it ended when they hit a log. Unfortunately, nemesis ended up on top and Gabe knocked his shoulder against the log. Gabe moaned and the nemesis grinned. He raised his hand to punch Gabe's lights out but again a voice rang out, without visible source, but loud and clear. "Heyheyhey... Come on, buddy... Calm down. Please." Gabe's nemesis stopped and cocked his head to listen. "Gabriel, please, come home. Fight this thing, whatever it is. Cas needs you, man. He's missed you so much... I have missed you too. I missed your goofy stunts. Come on, Gabe..." Gabe's heart skipped a beat and then started thumping loudly with untold joy. He flipped his opponent on his back and punched him. "Sam... You hear him, you asshat? He cares... He freaking cares!" Suddenly he stopped and placed a hand on his cheek. It felt like someone was holding his face. ' _Sam? Is that you?_ ' His heart swelled to twice it's size. Sam really cared. The touch felt deeply concerned and even somewhat loving. Again Sam's voice rang out. "If you come out of this, I'll even forgive you for the Japanese gameshow thing." Gabe smiled and chuckled, while he wiped his sweaty hair out of his eyes. Suddenly, using Gabe's moment of distraction, the nemesis pushed him and, as Gabe fought for his balance, he clocked him good. Gabe felt blood trickle from his mouth. "You bastard!" Sam's voice still talked, but Gabe ignored it for now. He was concentrating on pinning his opponent down.

"Hey brother! There's an endless road to rediscover  
Hey sister! Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker  
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you  
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

Hey brother! Do you still believe in one another?  
Hey sister! Do you still believe in love? I wonder  
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you  
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do."

Dean opened the door to the hallway that ran along the bedrooms, when he heard the rich voice of his brother singing. He smiled. ' _Sammy, you big softy._ ' He went into the spare bedroom where they had put the Archangel. "Heya Sammy. Singing Avicii to comatose angels, are you?" Sam pulled a bitchface at him. "Yeah, actually. It seemed to calm him. I'm worried, Dean. Look, his mouth suddenly started bleeding about five minutes ago." Dean hurried over, wiping at the fresh streak of blood out of the corner of Gabriel's mouth. "Damn it! That can never be good. Why don't you hit the books, Sammy. See what you can find. I'll take this watch for now." Sam nodded and handed Dean the wet cloth. "We're not going to let him die, right Dean?" Dean patted Sam's back. "Of course not. You know that." He ushered his baby brother out and took his place on the bed. "Okay, Trickster. Come on. Wake up buddy." Gabriel's head suddenly flipped to the other side and a gash appeared on his cheekbone, seeping blood. "What the Hell?" Dean quickly dabbed the wet cloth at the wound. Gabe's eye started to puff up and bruise. Dean put a loose slip of the cloth on it, to cool it. "How is this happening?" Dean felt this was not good. It looked like something or someone was beating the Archangel up. "Gabe, buddy... Don't get killed, okay?" Dean pleaded. "We just got you back..." His green eyes misted over and he wiped at them. "Cas would be heartbroken. And I don't want you to die either. I know we've had our differences, but I mean it. I like you, you silly angel."

Gabriel held the wrists of his nemesis in one hand, pushing them down into the ground. The grin on the nemesis face had faded, turned into a grimace. "You might have gotten to that big galoot, but he will still follow his brother's decission, and Dean.. Woo boy!! He hates your guts, bucko! Maybe Sam cares, but never enough to defy Dean." Gabe was panting with the effort to keep his nemesis down, but doubt creeped up on him. ' _What if he's right? Dean did say thanks, but he never said he liked me. Not since that time at the university. And I know Sam seldom counters Dean's decissions._ ' Gabe felt his hope fade like a mirage, until...

"Hey brother! There's an endless road to rediscover  
Hey sister! Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker  
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you  
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

Hey brother! Do you still believe in one another?  
Hey sister! Do you still believe in love? I wonder  
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you  
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do."

Gabriel laughed. "Oh, yeah..." he scoffed. "Sammy really only lives for Dean. You hear what he's singing? Why do you think he chose that song? It's about not giving up on eachother." He felt his courage and hope grow with every syllable Sam sang. His nemesis started to fidget, getting desperate. "You still have Dean to worry about, Emoboy." it sneered, blood blossoming from it's nose and mouth. "Dean wouldn't want you involved with his brother and his best friend. He thinks you're poison." Gabe felt a sensation at the corner of his mouth, as if someone gently wiped at it. It wasn't Sam. This touch was different. Sam's voice had faded away and now a new one rang out. "Okay, Trickster. Come on. Wake up buddy." Gabe's head snapped up. ' _Dean? Was that you, wiping my mouth so gently? You of all people?_ ' The nemesis, sensing weakness, managed to free his right hand. He punched Gabe right across the cheek. Gabriel's head whipped to the side and the impact of the blow ruptured the skin across his cheekbone. "What the Hell?" Dean sounded shocked, worried. Gabriel felt his eye blacken and swell. "How is this happening?" Dean's voice sounded frantic. Gabe grunted and returned the blow with interest. "You hear him, huh? That's Dean. Does that sound like he hates me?" he snapped at his nemesis. The nemesis wiped it's mouth. "Right. He still calls you Trickster. Not Gabe, not even Gabriel. Just Trickster." it sneered. That made the tiny bit of doubt inside Gabe grow again, but as if he'd heard the nemesis taunting Gabe, Dean's voice filled the skies again. "Gabe, buddy... Don't get killed, okay?" Gabe felt the hope inside him grow and squash the doubt like a bug. "We just got you back..." The nemesis scowled. "Cas would be heartbroken. And I don't want you to die either. I know we've had our differences, but I mean it. I like you, you silly angel." Dean's voice grew softer towards the end, but it was still audible. Gabe's heart beat triumphantly and he hit his nemesis one more time, for good meassure. Then he let go of him. He got up and looked down on the bloodied face. "Seems like you were wrong, dickweed. Now, will you let me go, or not?" The grin that flashed between the bloodstains was evil. "Or not." the nemesis cackled. It snapped it's fingers and disappeared. Franticly, Gabe looked around. ' _So, Mojo use is allowed? Good to know._ ' The nemesis reappeared a couple of yards off. It bent down and picked up the Archangelblade. "You have to catch me, and kill me, before you can leave, bucko!" it called out and ran off into the woods. Gabe swore loudly and chased after it.


	16. Awakenings

"Dean..." Dean jumped at Cas' gravelly voice. "Geez Cas! Don't do that!" Cas ignored him and walked up to the bed, examining his brother's face gently. "He suddenly got these injuries. I don't know, Cas... It looked like someone invisible was beating him up." Cas glanced at Dean. "You should have called for me. I'll heal him." Dean looked abashed. "I'm sorry, Cas. I didn't want to worry you." Cas bowed his head. "I am sorry too, Dean. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm grateful that you and Sam help me take care of him." Dean patted Cas on the shoulder. "Of course we do. He's your brother, and, to be honest, I think Sammy and I consider him a friend, if not family." Cas smiled a watery smile. "Thank you, Dean. Now, let me clean up my big brother." He put his hand on Gabriel's head and a blueish light shone from his fingers. Dean loved watching Cas heal. The miraculous vanishing of any and all cuts and bruises was a joy to see, but this time, it didn't happen. "Cas? What's wrong?" Cas looked panicked. "I... I can't heal him, Dean." He turned to Dean, his blue eyes full of concern. "My Grace is blocked. He won't let me heal him..." Dean put a hand on Cas' shoulder. "Then we will stay with him, keep talking to him, and convince him to let you. We won't give up on you big brother, Cas. No way in Hell." He turned towards Gabriel's still form on the bed. "You hearing me, Gabe? We won't give up on you! Even if I have to sing to you." Cas chuckled, despite the worry wrenching his gut.

Gabriel was carefully searching the woods. That dick nemesis must be around somewhere. He felt Cas' presence, and the sky glowed blue like Cas' Grace. The glow sneaked a tendril towards Gabe's face and tried to heal up the cut on Gabe's cheek, but it failed. ' _Sorry baby bro... Looks like you're not allowed to. I'll try not to get hurt any further._ ' The glow faded and Gabe could just picture Cas looking scared as Hell for not being able to heal. Suddenly Dean's voice rang out again. "You hearing me, Gabe? We won't give up on you! Even if I have to sing to you." Gabriel chuckled. Silly Winchester. Affection filled his heart. Whatever things the nemesis would tell Gabe about Cas and the Winchesters, he now knew they were lies. They wanted him back, not just for Cas, but because they did like him. He heard a twig snap and whisked around. From the undergrowth, the nemesis lunged, blade aimed for Gabriel's stomach. Gabriel turned his body away, but the blade nicked his side anyway. Gabe moaned and placed a hand on his side. ' _Damn it! So much for that promise!_ ' He slid his own Archangelblade into his hand and panting with pain, he faced his enemy. "Come on then, you heartless dick!" The nemesis stepped sideways in a circle and Gabe mirrored his moves, so they looked like gladiators in an arena, sizing eachother up. "You think you're going to win this, Emoboy?" Gabe threw his blade over into his other hand. "Yeah, I think so. But what if I don't?" The nemesis huffed a mirthless laugh. "Then I get control over the mothership, bucko. And I will use it to go back to being a proper Archangel. You know... Heaven's most terrifying weapon? Absolute and fierce." Gabe's heart wrenched at the thought. He had stopped playing that part so long ago, and he knew that this jerk would eradicate anyone within two miles of his vessel, if he got control. Just for kicks. "Not happening, asshat. That is so two millennia ago!" The nemesis lunged again, but Gabe dodged the blow and swished his own blade up, nearly slicing his opponent's ribs.

Dean and Cas both sat at Gabe's bed, each at a side. They hadn't talked for a while, but Dean had kept dabbing at Gabe's injuries, and Cas was grateful that his friend cared this much for his brother. Suddenly Gabe threw his body around, ending up on his side, and a red stain was forming on the blankets. Cas ripped them off, only to show a nasty cut that had appeared on Gabe's side. "Mother of... That's a knife wound, Cas! What the Hell is going on?" Gabriel was panting now and Cas felt panick rise in his throat like bile. "I don't know, Dean. I really don't know!" His voice broke and his eyes stung with unshed tears. Sam entered the room, nose in a book. "How's he doing?" he asked, but then he saw the bloodstained bedding at his feet. "Oh my god... How bad is it?" He ran over to the bed and examined Gabe. Relieved he straightened. "It's just a nick, but it does need stitches. Dean, can you get the kit?" Dean nodded and rushed out. Sam stood next to Cas, a hand resting comfortingly on his shoulder. "I'm guessing you tried to heal him, but it didn't work?" Cas merely nodded, as Dean came back in with the first aid kit. Calmly and decidedly, he got to work on Gabriel's side. "You got something in that book there, Sam?" Dean asked, while he threaded the needle. "Yeah. I think he is kinda in the same place I was when you put my soul back in, and Cas broke the wall Death had put up. You know? Facing repressed-parts-of-your-being kind of stuff. Your nemesis, so to speak." All three looked at the unconsious Archangel on the bed, while Dean sewed up the cut in his side. "But you didn't suddenly get cuts and bruises, Sam. Why does that happen to Gabe?" Sam shrugged. "To be honest, I managed to evade injury. Maybe Gabriel's other side is angrier than mine." Cas wiped a strand of hair out of Gabriel's face. "If he is facing his nemesis, it might be the Archangel part. The one that used to do the smiting and Heavenly Wrath stuff. He stopped being that when he ran away from Heaven." Dean whistled low. "Two millennia of not being recognised, I'd be pissed." He took the bottle of whiskey and poured some over the stitched up wound. Gabe moaned and writhed, but Cas held him down. "I got you, big brother. Now I'm caring for you, like you did for me, when I was a fledgeling. Remember, Gabe? Remember helping me fly, and healing my cuts and bruises after I fell?" A tear formed in the corner of Gabriel's eye. Cas hugged his brother's still form with tears in his own eyes. "Come home, Gabey... Please..."

Gabe felt something pulling and stinging at his side, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He and his nemesis were back at circling eachother like predators. "C'mon then Emoboy..." his enemy taunted. "You know I'm the better fighter, isn't it? The whole caring thing only happened after eons of living like a mudmonkey." Gabe felt anger bubble at the taunts. "Don't call them that! They are as much Dad's children as we are." Suddenly the wound in his side felt on fire and he hissed out his breath. The nemesis grinned at his discomfort. "Hurts, doesn't it? You'll bleed out soon. So much for caring. You never cared up in Heaven and it was so much better..." Gabe fell to his knees. "Liar..." he moaned. He brought his hand to his side, under his clothing, and his fingertips felt gingerly at the cut. They met evenly spaced bumps and the cut seemed pulled close. ' _Stitches? What in Dad's name!_ ' he thought. Just as the nemesis walked closer, gloating, Cas' voice sounded again. "I got you, big brother. Now I'm caring for you, like you did for me, when I was a fledgeling. Remember, Gabe? Remember helping me fly, and healing my cuts and bruises after I fell?" Gabe's memory suddenly flooded with images of him and Cas in Heaven. Cas running to him, crying because the other angels teased him for having black wings, instead of the usual white. He remembered using his Grace to colour his own wings golden, to match his hair, like Cas' black ones matched his dark locks. He remembered the gratefull and adoring look in the cerulean eyes of his baby brother, just before he flung himself into Gabe's arms saying: "I wuvs you, Gabey... We'll be bestest brovvers ever!!!" Gabe felt his eyes mist over, but he gripped his blade tight, ready to fight to the death. Just as the nemesis raised his blade for the kill, Cas' voice rang out again. "Come home, Gabey... Please..." Gabe could hear the tears in his baby brother's voice and he felt his own slide down his cheeks, but the fact that Cas used his old nickname, gave Gabe the strength to fight. As the nemesis plunged his blade towards Gabe, he raised his own and they met in a loud clash. Gabe kept the preassure on his blade and he slowly got to his feet. "You. Are. An. Awful. Liar." he grunted, pushing the blades up. "I cared. In Heaven. I cared for Cassie, and all the others. Now, let. Me. Go!!" he yelled. He broke his blade free and in one fluïd swoop, planted it right in his nemesis abdomen. A bright light spilled from the nemesis' body and filled the whole wood.

With a gasp, Gabriel woke up in Cas' embrace, his cheeks tearstreaked and his cheek and side burning. "Gabey!" Cas exclaimed and hugged him even tighter. "Owww. Easy there, baby bro. I am a bit busted up." Cas quickly released him. "Sorry." Dean chuckled. He wasn't used to Cas being flustered. "Glad you made it, Gabe. It is you, isn't it?" Gabe flashed Dean a signature Trickster grin. "You're not getting rid of me that easy, bucko." Sam grinned too. "Welcome back then, Gabriel." Gabe cocked his head at him. "What's that, Samsquatch? No Gabe? I thought you missed me." Sam ruffled Gabe's hair. "Sure did, Gabe, sure did." Gabe tried to duck from under his hand, but his side protested. He moaned and gingerly looked at the wound. "Nice needlepoint. Who did that?" Dean scratched his neck. "Me, actually. I'm sorry, but you were bleeding like an ox, and Cas couldn't heal you." Touching the stitches and wincing, Gabe answered. "I think wounds made at this spiritual level, are beyond magical repair. I'll have to heal the slow way. So thanks for sewing me up, Dean-o. It helped me out there too." Sam sat down on the bed. "Tell us, what happened? And not just in your head, but everything since the Elysian Fields motel." Gabe sighed. "You'll be in here for a while, bucko. You up for that?"

After about half an hour, the brothers noticed Gabe getting tired, so they left. Cas sat at Gabe's side for a bit longer, watching his brother sleep. "You scared us, Gabey. Please don't leave again." he pleaded, wiping hair out of his face. He sighed, arranged the blankets around his sleeping brother and left. Gabe heard the door close and opened his eyes. "Dad? Can we forgo the whole stealth mode? I don't want to lie to them, not ever again." he prayed with all of his heart.


	17. Catching up

Gabriel slept, which is an odd thing in itself, but he dreamed too. He dreamed that he was in Heaven, lying on his own bed. He knew he had to be dreaming, since all his injuries were gone, and he knew there was no magical way they could have healed. ' _Now why would I dream this?_ ' he wondered. He sat up, noticing he was dressed in his white T-shirt and red boxers. ' _Well, at least I'm relaxing, it appears. Oh well... Let's see what happens when I get up._ ' He sat up, threw off the covers and stretched his body and wings. "Hello son." Gabe turned his head towards the door. "Hey Dad. Dream walking, are we? Why not pop in in your usual manner?" His Father smiled. "Your vessel is too weak. I'm trying to inflict no more damage to it." Gabe smiled his half smile. "Ok then... What is this all about?" His Father gestured to the livingroom and Gabe followed, dressing himself with a snap of his fingers. They sat on the sofa and Gabe conjured up two cups of coffee. His Father smiled and sipped his Java. "Ok then. You asked if you could 'forgo the stealth' if I remember correctly." Gabe ducked his head and sipped his coffee to hide his blush. "Yeah, I did. I kept you out of the story I told Cas, Dean and Sam. So your cover is intact, but I am so sick with the lies and the deceipt. And with wiping their memories. Turns out they have very strong minds and that somehow, some things shimmer through. I'm afraid I might permanently damage their brains if I keep this up." He looked up, hope shimmering in his whiskey coloured eyes. His Father nodded thoughtfully. "I see where you're coming from, son. And I know it has cost you a lot to recover from your ordeal with Crowley." He clicked his tongue. "I guess I could spare you, Cas and the boys the whole thing." Gabe's eyes lit up. "Just as long as you keep two things to yourself. Me... And your special charges... No-one must know of them." Gabe nodded, happy as a clam. "I wouldn't dream of exposing you or them, Dad. You know that." His Father tilted his head, as if to listen, and smiled lovingly. "I think that's you cue, Gabriel. Time to go." Gabe frowned, confused, but then he heard it. A gruff voice, belonging to the oldest Winchester, singing.

"Sweet home Alabama   
Where the skies are so blue   
Sweet Home Alabama   
Lord, I'm coming home to you"

Gabe smiled as he opened his eyes, one still a bit puffed up. Dean was sitting in the chair next to his bed, eyes unfocussed, staring at the wall, and he sang softly. "Morning, Dean-o! Nothing like waking up to Lynyrd Skynyrd." Dean shut his mouth with an audible click and Gabe chuckled. "Sorry, buddy. Couldn't resist temptation.... But you did that rather well, actually. Why were you singing though?" Dean looked away and scratched his neck, a slight blush colouring his cheeks. "Well... I... That is... Cas... Well, he was worried you might slip under again. So we've been keeping guard when you slept. And just now you were tossing a bit, so I wanted to help you calm down. Singing seemed to help last time, when Cas and Sam did it." Gabriel laid a fond hand on Dean's. "I really appreciate this, Dean. To be honest, I was afraid you and Sam would hate me." He looked down at the sheets and quickly blinked his tears away. "I haven't been an angel, so to say." Dean chuckled. "Actually... I'd say you were a real angel." Gabriel laughed and Dean patted the hand that was still holding his other hand. "All is forgiven, Gabe. You just get better, ok?"

Cas sat at the bed of his brother, with two fingers pressed to Gabe's forehead. "You seem to be healing, brother, but it is dreadfully slow progress." Gabriel sighed. "No shit, Sherlock... It's been a week, and I still feel like yesterday warmed over..." Dean was examining the stitches he had put in Gabe's side. "Well, these look normal. Sammy, hand me the embroidery scissors, please." After two minutes of snipping and pulling the stitches out, Dean straightened up and declared Gabe's side "healed and enhanced with an interesting scar." Gabe pulled a face. He wasn't used to having a scar. "Cheer up, Trickster. It's not the end of the world. My handprint one has made for quite interesting conversations." Dean tried to lift his spirits. Gabe tilted his head. "Your what now?" With a sigh, Dean rolled up the sleeve of his black t-shirt to reveal the burnscar in the shape of a hand, situated at the very top of his left arm. Gabe looked at it, confused. "Where did you get that?!" Dean and Cas awkwardly looked at eachother and then away. Gabe followed their gazes with astonishment. "You gave him that?! Why?" Cas rubbed the back of his neck in embarrasment. "It wasn't a choice, Gabey. It happened when I raised him from perdition. Somehow, for some reason, my Grace left that mark." Gabe raised his eyebrows. "That's odd..." he replied thoughtfully. Sam was also deep in thought. "Remember Balthazar?" he suddenly asked. Cas hung his head, Dean sighed sadly, but Gabe smiled broadly. "Yeah... Silly Goose if I ever saw one. Business like fellow, though. Why?" Sam looked somewhat taken aback at Gabe's lack of mourning. He turned to Dean. "Remember when he traded part of the Staff of Moses with that kid?" Dean narrowed his eyes. "Yeah... Why?" Sam followed his own thought pattern and shook his head. "Never mind, that was on a soul. The kid didn't have any markings we could see." Gabe frowned. "Markings? On a soul?" He looked at Cas. "Cassie, did Balthy trade a kids soul?!" Cas nodded unhappilly. "It was shortly after Michael and Lucifer fell to the cage, before my ehm... episode with the Leviathans. Balthazar thought that souls were the ultimate currency... He traded souls for heavenly weapons."

Gabe looked thoughtful. "Smart... Dispicable, but smart." He pursed his lips in thought. Sam had seen that look on him before. "Gabriel... What are you thinking?" Gabe burst out laughing. "Geez Samsquatch, you sound just like a strickt parent. I was merely thinking how he should pay for that transgression." Cas gasped. "Gabey!" Dean patted Cas on the shoulder. "Don't be angry at him, Cas. He's been out of the loop, remember?" He turned to Gabe. "He's dead, Gabe." Gabe blinked. ' _Oh crap... Of course. He has been enjoying his personal Heaven for quite a few years now. Never thought a Heaven could be a mixed gender stripclub. But that's Balthy for you._ ' He quickly arranged his face into shock. "You're kidding! What happened?" Cas looked at his hands, folded in his lap. "Cas?" Dean squeezed Cas' shoulder. "Dean?" Gabe looked at them in turn. "Come on guys... Sam?" Sam ran his slender fingers through his hair and sighed. "I guess someone should tell you... Cas killed him." Cas buried his face in his hands. Gabe looked over to his baby brother. "Castiël... Is that true?" Dean suddenly radiated protectivenes. "It is, Gabe." he said gruffly. "It was a dark time, for all of us, and we all did what we thought was best. Let's keep it at that." He never took his hand of Cas' shoulder and now he even put his other hand on Cas' other shoulder. Cas didn't look up, but Dean kept his hands on those shoulders in a protective gesture. ' _My word... Something happened allright! I've never seen Dean act this way with Cas. Sam, yeah, repeated ad nauseam, but Cas..._ ' He coughed. "Ok then. I guess I know enough. I'm sorry, Cassie. I didn't want to hurt you. You know I'd never do that on purpose." Cas finally looked up, his cerulean eyes miserable. "It's ok, Gabey. You couldn't know." His voice was soft and Gabe wanted nothing more than to take it all back. He sat up and hugged his baby brother. "I'm so sorry, Cassie... I'm so sorry." Cas broke down and sobbed into Gabriel's shoulder. Dean signaled Sam with his eyes and silently the human brothers left the angelic brothers alone.


	18. Coming clean

Cas and Gabriel sat on the sofa in Gabriel's Heaven. "Are you sure, Gabey? I still think Sam and Dean will miss us. Gabe rubbed his side, where the scar itched slightly. "I'm sure, Cas. I was just sick of those grey walls." Cas smirked at him. "You could have turned them any colour you wanted. And if your Grace hasn't been restored enough, I could have. I brought us here, didn't I?" He looked around. "I never knew this part of Heaven exists. How did you find it?" Gabe shifted uncomfortably. ' _Oh crap. Trust Cassie to be observant... I can tell part of the truth though._ ' He cleared his throat. "I don't know. I woke up here, after Luci..." His voice trailed off. It still hurt after all this time. Cas patted his shoulder. "Ok. I understand. I still don't know how I got back to Stull cemetary all those years back, either, or how I got out of that reservoir..." He shrewdly looked at Gabe. "Do you know how I managed that?" Gabe hung his head in defeat. "The latter, yeah, I do. I pulled you out." Cas shook his head. "Gabriel, I was ready, no, willing to die, to let the Leviathans die with me. Why did you do that?" Gabe looked at him with blazing eyes. "Come on, Cas! Those Leviathan souls bailed as soon as they noticed your intent. I couldn't let you die..." His fierce defense crumbled. "You're my baby brother, Cas. I had to safe you. It's like you said... I'm the Dean to your Sam..." Cas looked up sharply. "What? How... Of course... You got my prayers... You dreamwalked when my vessel pulled the plug... Oh my... I have been dull, haven't I? You got me out in Norway. You brought me to the Bunker. That's why my recollection of that escape was so clear. It was planted." Gabe sighed. "Trust you to be observant... Yes, yes I did. You were being held by Thor, to lure me. So I had to get you out, didn't I? My responsibility." Cas narrowed his eyes. "How many times, Gabriel?" Gabe winced at the semi angry tone of his voice. "Enough, Cas. More than enough." Cas rubbed his mouth. "Why didn't you make yourself known, brother? I would have loved to have you around. I missed you." The hurt tone was even worse. Gabe squeezed his eyes shut. "I was afraid, Cassie. I was scared that you couldn't forgive me. I was a coward." To his surprise, Castiël smiled. "No. No, Gabey, you were being human. Selfpreservation. Although, I'm beginning to wonder if our Father hasn't instilled that trait into every living being, including us." Gabe shot him a glance, but Cas was looking pensively and nothing indicated that he knew God wasn't as gone as they thought. Gabe hugged his brother. "Thanks, Cassie, for forgiving me. And for not being mad that I toyed with your mind." Cas huffed a half chuckle. "I think I would probably have done the same, if I had been in your shoes. Come, let us go back to the Bunker. I want to keep an eye on those hunters. You never know what trouble they cause when I'm not around." Gabe laughed and Cas zapped them to Lebanon.

Cas and Gabe stalked the Bunker's hallways, calling out to the Winchesters. They met in the library and Cas spread his arms in a 'what-did-I-tell-you' gesture. "See what I mean, Gabey? They're gone. Who knows where to this time." Gabe felt a twinge of unease in his stomach. "Didn't they leave a note? Something feels off." Cas shook his head, his own unease doubling. "You too? I'm not too sure I feel comfortable with this either." Gabriel's subconsious nudged him. "Why don't you call Dean, see where they are, and poof off to help. I'll be safe here. I can walk, I can prepare poptarts and microwave popcorn. I'll be ok, promise." Cas tilted his head adorably and frowned a bit. "Are you sure?" Gabriel sighed and pushed his trenchcoated sibling towards the door. "Yes, Motherhen. Go. Make sure our human friends are ok." Cas took out his phone as he walked towards the door. Last thing Gabe heard, was Cas' gravelly voice saying: "Dean..." He sighed. Cas was adapting wonderfully well, for an angel. As he opened up the pantry, he heard his Father's voice. "Gabriel, I'm coming to get you, son. I think we might have a situation." Gabe rolled his eyes. "Seriously? Can't we have a break for just a week?" God chuckled. "Sorry, Gabe." Putting back the poptarts, Gabe sighed. "Allright then, beam me up, Scotty."

Sam had volunteered to do the shopping this time, and Dean had offered to come along, since the angelbro's were still in the spare bedroom, bonding. To prevent getting too noticed around Lebanon, Dean and him had decided to fan out a bit and go to different stores in different towns. Today it was Downs, Kansas. Dean parked the Impala and said Sam should get the more obscure stuff, like herbs and such, if he would brave the supermarket. "Just don't get involved in another robbery." Sam chuckled. Dean gave him a bitchface to rival his own, and looked at the list Sam had given him. "No pie? I thought we had finished the last." Sam sighed. "You have. But no pie. If we have time, I'm going to try and make one myself." Dean looked dubious. "It's bound to be healthier than storebought." Sam stated. Dean sighed and gave in. "Allright then. No pie. I'll get going." He walked off, muttering to himself. "Bound to be healthier... Tcha. Feels like the Leviathans have come back..." Sam shook his head, smiling. His brother would never change. He took his own list and turned the other way, looking for an herbalist shop or pharmacy.


	19. New developments

Walking back towards the parkinglot where they had left the Impala, Sam noticed something from the corner of his eye. He looked back at the mail delivery lady that had past him and his eyes widened. No one else seemed to notice what he could see, clear as day. Two wings sprouting from her back, plumage in the same colour as her hair. ' _Two options, Sam. One: you're seeing things that aren't there and going insane, or two: you're seeing things that are there, and have started seeing angelwings._ ' he told himself. His eyes not leaving the lady in uniform, he grabbed his phone. "Dean.. Listen... I'm on to something. No... No. Geez. Get your mind out the gutter for once. Just come find me, ok. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You need to see this. I'm on Morgan street, coming your way." He hung up on his brother and crossed the street, following the mail lady from the opposite side of the street. She was chipper and had a friendly greeting for anyone she met. People smiled at her and greeted back, even if they looked grumpy before they saw her. Her lips were moving without sound. Seeing that she had earbuds in, Sam thought she must be listening to music. When she left the hardware store she waved and the old man letting her out said: "Have a great day, Adrienne. See you tomorrow!" The mail lady smiled and with one earbud in her hand, she answered in a pleasant voice: "Thank you, mr. Miller. You have a great one too!" The earbud was replaced and she trotted off again, hips swinging to the beat. Sam smiled, but was soon distracted again by what others obviously did not see, her wings, dancing along with the movements of her shoulders. He saw his brother coming down the road and signaled him to follow him down a side street. "Sam, what?" Sam looked around and pointed at the mail lady. "Please tell me you're seeing them too." he said, voice pleading. "See what? What are you... Holy Hell! You mean..." He gesticulated vaguely at the wings and Sam nodded. "Great. I'm not going insane then. Maybe we should call Cas. See if we can see his too." Dean frowned at him, but pulled out his phone none the less.

As if it had waited to be handled, it started ringing. Quickly shooting a glance at the mail lady, who was oblivious of the attention she was getting from two tall and handsome guys, he answered it. "Cas... Speak of the Devil. No, no, I know you're not him. It's an expression. No, we're not in any trouble... Just... Could you come here? Yeah, grocery shopping gone supernatural, as usual. Downs, corner of Morgan and.. Beale. Yeah. See you." He turned to Sam. "He's coming." With the sound of a wingbeat, Cas appeared behind him. "Correction, he's here." Sam grinned. "Hello Sam, Dean. What went wrong this time?" Cas asked in his gravelly voice. Sam looked at him intensely, and Dean even circled him. "Nope." he said. "You, Sam?" Sam shook his head. "Me neither." Cas looked at them both with irritation sparkling in his eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked gruffly. "Looking if we could see your wings." Dean answered with typical directness. "Why? You know you can't see hem, unless I show them, and then still you just see the shadows." Sam nodded. "We know, Cas." Dean pointed to the mail lady, who came out of the senior citizens centre. "Then explain how we can see those." Cas turned to look. "What? Oh. Oh my... This is weird. She... She is no angel, and yet... And you see her wings? Why? How?" Dean cocked his head. "Well. Seems like you can't explain this either." Cas looked at them with utter confusion. "No. I can't." Sam decided to forgo all caution, and crossed the street. "Sam! What are you doing?" his brother hissed after him. Ignoring Dean, Sam walked straight up to the mail lady. Even before he came near her, she stiffened, shook herself and walked on. Her face looked grim now, and she stopped singing along with her music. Sam stepped up and closed the gap between them in quick strides of his long legs. The woman stopped dead, her back straight as a rod. Just before Sam put his hand on her shoulder, she turned, blanched and started crying. Not sobbing, but tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Who... Who are you? What have you done?! Where have you been?!"

Dean saw his brother stride up to the winged woman and when she turned he saw tears streaming down her face. "Geez Sammy, what did you do now?" he muttered and quick as his legs could carry him, he crossed the street towards the two. The lady stopped talking to Sam and locked her eyes onto Dean, as he was halfway across the street. Her eyes got even bigger and she started to shake. When Dean came to a halt next to Sam, she squeaked and sank to her knees, hiding her face in her hands. "Sammy, what did you do?" Dean asked accusingly. Sam looked utterly stumped. "I didn't do anything. She just turned at me and started crying." The woman gasped a few times and in a high, squeaky voice she asked: "How can you stand it? How can you stand it?" Nonplussed, Dean squated next to her. "What do you mean?" he asked. But she looked past him, like a deer caught in headlights. "No..." she whispered. Dean and Sam turned their heads around, to see Castiël coming over, trenchcoat fanning out slightly with his hasty steps. "Dean, Sam, what have you done to..." He faltered and his blue eyes widened. Dean looked back at the woman in front of him. She was lying on the sidewalk, eyes closed. Sam put his hand on her midriff and checked her breathing. "She's alive." he said, relieved. "What is going on here? What did you do to that girl?" Cas asked. "We roofied her, Cas." Dean snapped sarcastically. Seeing Cas' look, he amended. "Of course we didn't. She fainted or something. Why would you assume we did this?" Cas looked relieved. "Well, whatever happened, we better get her out of here before we attract unwanted attention." Dean looked around quickly. "Good call, Cas. Can you zap her to the Bunker? Then Sam and I will follow you in the Impala." Cas nodded and put his fingers on her forehead, whisking her away to Lebanon.

Gabe watched his Father, pacing uncharacteristicly. "You know, when I made your special charges, I gave them that special feature." Gabe nodded. "Yeah... And you had that extra security meassure, making sure only a selected few could see that feature. Took me on that trip to make sure I could." God sighed. "Guess who we forgot that made both trips necessary to see it..." Gabe raked his brain, but no-one came to mind directly. His Father motioned him to come see, pointing at his monitor. Gabe zapped over, bent down to see and almost cursed. "You have got to be kidding me!" His Father nodded. "Not just him though... Remember his first assignment where he got to make the second trip?" His finger swiped across the screen. Gabe felt his knees weaken. "Oh no... No. Nonono. You're joking!!! " More nodding. His Father sighed again. "And the second time he went for...." God's finger jabbed on the screen. Gabe almost choked. "Mother of.... All three?! Who did they find?" Then he saw. "HELLS BELLS!!!" He slammed his hand on the desk. "Gabriel... Mind your language, son... But I do agree. This isn't very fortunate." Gabe started pacing too. "Oh,we're in for it now, Dad. There is no way that I'm messing with minds again, especially those under my care. But if she gets involved with... Oh my word. She'll be back on Crowley's radar in no time!" He ran his hand through his hair, his whiskey coloured eyes shining with worry. "What do I do now, Dad? What on Earth do I do now?"


	20. Oh, and who are you?

Cas sat on the bed in yet another spare bedroom, watching the unconsious mail lady. Knowing that lying on your back with wings can be uncomfortable, he had put her on her side, stretching the wings out behind her back. She was fidgeting and whimpering. He stroked the soft feathers of her wings lightly, and it seemed to calm her. "Shush now... You'll be ok. We will take care of you." he cooed softly. "Well, Cas, how is our girl doing?" Cas didn't stop caressing the feathers, but he did answer softly. "She is still out, Dean. I am unsure as to why." Sam came into the room with a bowl of water and a facecloth. "Don't worry, Cas. We'll fix her up." The woman started whimpering again, and she curled herself up into a fetal position, as if she was trying to protect herself. She was moaning softly. "No. No. Please.. No." Sam dabbed her face with the facecloth, but she shied away. Cas stroked her wings again, but this time she jerked them from his touch, folding them tightly. One around her body, the other against her back. "I think we might just have to let her be for a bit." Dean piped up. "She seems to react so violently to our presence." Cas looked at him, cerulean eyes full of pity and doubt. "But how will we be able to calm her, once she wakes up? She is suddenly in a room she doesn't know." Dean's jade eyes flicked to the bed. "I guess you're right, Cas, but look at her..." The woman's cheeks were wet once again, and the sight made the three men uneasy. "I know!" Sam called. "We'll ask Jodie to come watch her." Dean nodded. "Good idea, Sam. Too bad Jodie lives a six hour drive from here." Sam looked at his brother. "Dean... Call her. Cas can pick her up." Dean locked his emerald eyes onto Cas' oceanblue ones. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to feel used as a heavenly cabservice." Cas smiled. "All of a sudden you're concerned about that? It's ok, Dean. You only ask me to do this every now and then, and mostly for people who are hurt. Isn't that an honourable task?" Dean looked relieved. "Ok then. Thanks, Cas." Cas nodded and Dean picked up his phone. "Jodie? Dean Winchester. Hi..." He walked out of the room and Sam looked at Cas. "What was that all about?" Cas chuckled. "I have my suspicions. The phrasing was very Gabriel. I think my older brother had a chat with yours. When Jodie gets here, I will ask Gabe about it." Dean came back in. "She'll do it. The girls are on camp. Jodie said to tell you two that Claire said Hi." Sam raised his eyebrows. "Me too?" "You too." Dean grinned. "Well then." Cas interluded. "I will get Jodie. I will be back shortly." He got up and poofed out.

"So, this is your basecamp." Dean's head shot up from his reading. A shorthaired woman in jeans and a plaid shirt stood next to Cas when he appeared in the library. Dean leapt from his chair and hugged her tight. "Heya Jodie! Good to see you!" She hugged him back just as tight. "Hey handsome. Good to see you too. And all in one piece too." Dean grinned at her. "Yeah... It's been tough, but we kept my stuff together. Beer?" She shook her head. "Not just yet, champ. First I need to know what kind of stray you brought home this time." Cas frowned. "Technically, Jodie, she is no stray. I am willing to bet she had a home, and family. She certainly has a paid job..." Jodie laughed. "Just an expression, Castiël." Dean chuckled. "Come on then, Jodes, I'll show you." And he lead the way to the spare bedroom. When they entered the room, Sam looked up, a smile lighting up his handsome face. "Hey Jodie! How are you? And the girls?" Jodie smiled and buried herself in his bearhug. "Fine, well, as fine as a woman caring for two teenagers can be. And the girls are ok too. They didn't want to go on camp, until they found out the baseball camp is right across the lake. So yeah, I'm betting they're just fine. And you. You look ok. Everything good?" He nodded. "Yeah, yeah. A bit slow actually. We're used to more highstrung times, but I'm not complaining. It's nice to have some time off." Dean raised his eyebrows at that, but let it slide. "Sooo. This is the stray. What's wrong with her? Vampire? Werewolf? One of you had a kid with a fairy?" Sam chuckled. "Nothing like that. You don't see anything odd about her?" Jodie looked the woman up and down. "Apart from the uniform, no. I never understood why people deliver mail for a living. Every day, through rain and shine, sleet or high winds... But, who am I to judge? I bust criminals, and sometimes supernatural creatures. Bet she would find that odd." Sam looked at Cas and Dean. "You don't see it?" he asked again, incredulous. "No, should I?" Cas looked at the bed, where the wings took up most of the space. "No. Not necesarily. You know, I think we should leave you ladies. Maybe she'll come to when we are gone. I'm thinking our presence is somehow to blame for her situation. Let us see how she fares when we are not here." Sam and Dean nodded in agreement and they left.

Jodie sat next to the bed, reading a romance novel. The woman on the bed was still asleep, and she felt it was a nice change from watching two rebelling teens. The woman on the bed stirred and moaned. She was waking up. Jodie put her book down and sat up. "Hey... Hi there, missy. How are you feeling?" The woman sat up with a start, looked at Jodie with big, brown eyes, and sighed shakily. "Oh, Jodie... I'm so sorry... But it wasn't your fault. Really, it wasn't. Neither time you lost him." Jodie opened and closed her mouth, but nothing came out. "I... I'm sorry. I usually introduce myself, before laying out one's soul." the woman stammered. "I must have been out of sorts! I'm Adrienne." Jodie nodded, completely caught off guard. "How.. How did you know my name?" she asked. "Can you read minds?" Adrienne smiled. "Sometimes. Mostly I pick up other people's feelings." Jodie smiled tentively. "So that's how you knew..." Adrienne nodded. "Again: sorry about that. I usually keep my mouth shut." She looked around. "Where am I? The Bunker? What? Angels???? I think I need to readjust my antennae. I must have read that wrong!" Jodie smiled at her confusion. "I think I should get the guys..." Adrienne grabbed her arm. "One at a time, please. Start with.... The greeneyed one. Best get the worst over with." Jodie raised her eyebrows, but she nodded. She walked to the library, where the guys were sitting around one of the tables, drinking beer, reading books and generally being the guys. "So, no sign of Gabe? That's odd." Sam said to Cas. Jodie cleared her throat. "Hey Sherrif!" Dean greeted, his eyes lighting up with a fond light. "Is she awake?" Jodie scratched her ear. "Yeah... She, ehm... She requested to see you... Only Dean!" she added, when all three pushed their chairs back. Applegreen eyes full of questions, Dean followed Jodie to their guest. "I... I'm going to stay out here. I think she might want to see you alone." Jodie said to him as she opened the door.


	21. Mystery lady

"Hello, Dean." the woman in the bed said, as he walked in. Dean was taken aback a bit. "So, Jodie told you who we are..." She smiled. "No, she didn't. I get people's names first from all of their thoughts. A handy thing, if I do say so." Dean looked sceptic. "You're a mind reader?" Again that smile, but Dean saw her wrap her wings around her body protectively. "Not really. Not like your friend Missouri. I gather she could read you like a book. I just get flashes of images and names, and mostly feelings." Her eyes misted over as she said the last words. "Yes, Dean, even those buried deep. And that is why I don't want all three of you in here at once. That might be a bit overwhelming. I remember you walking up on me one by one, and that was when it all went black." Dean sat down on the bed next to her, looking guilty. "I'm sorry... Erm, what's your name by the way?" She smiled sweetly, but her wings wrapped even more securely around her. "Adrienne. Don't feel sorry, Dean. Not about that. Nor about not saving your mother, your father, or anybody else. Don't you know you only have limited time here? People have to die, Dean. Without Death, there would be no room for New Life." Dean snorted, because, unwillingly, those words dragged up memories of all the times he had died, and was brought back. Adrienne shivered and drew her wings closer still, her eyes starting to mist over again. "Great Gods... That many times? You must be special." Her voice shook a bit. "How can you stand it? Feeling so undeserving, so guilty about things that you could never change. Why don't you talk with your brother? You finally accepted that he is grown up, yet you don't confide in him. This is how misunderstandings grow. Tell him how you feel, even if it's a shamefull feeling. He might show you a new perspective on yourself." She sounded tired and tears were once again falling. Dean gasped. "Adrienne, I'm sorry if I made you sad." he appologised, wiping at her tears with his thumbs. She smiled a watery smile. "Oh, honey, these tears are not mine." Dean looked puzzled. "What? What's that supposed to mean?" The tears kept streaming and Dean felt somehow that as they fell, they took some of his darkest feelings with them. "I rarely cry for myself, Dean. These... These are all yours. All the tears you daren't shed all through the years." Dean gasped, and covered his face with both his hands. "Don't worry, they don't really hurt me, and you'll feel so much better when they're gone. Let's just talk. Tell me." Dean looked up and almost without knowing that he chose to do it, he started talking.

"Gabriel... Brother, where did you go? You were gone when I returned. Are you allright?" Gabe looked at his Father, panicked. "Dad, what do I do? I can't go back there with Adrienne there. She might remember, and... Oh this is getting complicated again." His Father put his hands on Gabe's shoulders. "I think we should hold a war council. Cover the 'whats', 'whys' and 'hows'. Tell Cas you're fine, that you needed to get something done. We'll pop you back in when we are clear on what to do next. These are things I haven't even considered. Trust the Winchesters to throw even me off." He smiled fondly. "Those guys have grown on you, haven't they, Dad?" Gabe shrewdly noted. God smiled. "Yeah... Somehow it's impossible not to love them." He smiled at the monitor, where the boys sat with Cas in their library. "Come, tell your brother you're ok, and let us start planning."

Cas blinked and turned to Sam with a relieved look on his face. "Gabriel is fine. He had some things to. I should not have worried." Sam smiled sadly. "Yeah, well that's what brothers do, Cas. I can't tell you how worried sick I was any time Dean just dropped off the radar. In the end it always turned out ok, but it was a close call several times." Cas looked at him, knowing where his mind had taken him. "It was not your fault, Sam. Dean chose to go to Metatron by himself. He knocked you out!" Sam looked at his slender hands, entwining and unfurling his long fingers. "I know, Cas. Nor was it my fault that he took on that stupid Mark, but still..." Cas patted Sam on the shoulder. "I'm starting to understand your bond. Now that Gabe is back, I can really see why you would do certain things the way you did." His blue eyes soft and caring, Cas looked a Sam fondly. "I think I would do the same for any of you." Dean walked in, his green eyes unusually bright. "Please don't, Cas. I have made some very stupid decissions that way." Sam looked up at him, stunned. "Sammy, Adrienne would like to see you now." Sam raised his eyebrows. "What is she? An interrogator?" Dean shook his head. "Just talk to her... Cas, any word on Gabe?" Sam decided to wait until he had seen this Adrienne himself, and then ask his big brother what the Hell had happened to him. He seemed to behave odd.

Sam took in the woman in the bed, with her wings wrapped tightly around her. "Hey. I'm..." But she didn't let him finish. "You're Sam. I know. Why do you hate your name? It's a strong and wise name. It suits you... Your grandfather? What has he done, for you to dispise him so? Oh my... Betrayal... Hon, come here... Tell me." Utterly stumped, Sam strode to the bed, to sit down in the place his brother had left. "How... How do you know that?" he asked, his voice hoarse with emotion. Adrienne trained her warm, brown eyes on Sam's. "Sweetheart, I can sense your feelings. Even those you have burried under all the others. This grandfather... Paternal? No... That is laced with sadness and pride. Did he die?" Sam swallowed hard, remembering how Henry Winchester, the scholar, had died for his grandsons. "Yeah... He left us this building. Our home. We have so much to thank him for..." Adrienne blinked, and two fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "That's ok, hon. I bet he is proud of you two." Sam noticed her wings being drawn around her even tighter. "Why do you do that? Are you afraid of us?" he asked. "What?" Adrienne looked stumped. "What do you mean?" Sam stroked the top of one wing, making Adrienne shiver. "Pull your wings around you like that." She gaped at him. "You can see them? I thought I was going mad." Sam smiled a sad little smile, and Adrienne gasped. "You know that feeling... Awe honey!" She spread her arms and wings and embraced him with both. Sam felt warmth and comfort radiate from her hug and he gladly burrowed into it, for once not embarrased to accept solace. He felt a lot of his darkest feelings soften and sighed. When he felt his shirt get soaked, he looked up. Adrienne once again had tears running down her cheeks. She sniffled and smiled. "Don't worry, Sammy. These are not mine, they're yours. I'm used to crying for those who can't or won't cry themselves. Just let it be." Sam snuggled in the feathery embrace. "Geez, Sam. How long since you and Dean actually talked? Do you really think he hates emotions? He can't handle them like you, but he hasn't gotten callous. Just allow yourself and him an open mind. See what becomes of that. And don't you dare feel guilty... Is that a family thing? Feeling guilty about stuff you cant possibly be guilty for?" Sam felt like he was crying, yet he didn't. No sobs, no tears, not even dry heaving. But the exhaustion and emotional cleansing were there. All those bad memories came to mind unbidden, and in stead of depressing them, this time he let them come, welcoming them. Adrienne held him, while her tears soaked them both.


	22. Angels and feelings

Gabe paced around in the pouring rain. His Father and him had talked, and talked, and they finally agreed that, though Adrienne mustn't see him, he would fill in the Winchesters and his brother on his special charges. So now he was just passing time until Samsquatch and his brother let Adrienne off the hook, or until he could corner one of them away from her. The rain plastered his caramel coloured hair to his skull in wet tresses and his clothes got soaked. But he didn't mind. He thought the rain cleansing and he let it soak him. His amber eyes glazed as his thoughts had turned all inward.

Sam stumbled out of the room where they had housed Adrienne. He felt both exhausted and elated. He rubbed his face with both his hands. Adrienne was right. Dean and him really needed to talk. He went to his own room, to run some cold water over his wrists and splash some in his face. After that, he would probably feel much better and up to facing his brother. As he understood it, Dean had gotten an earfull of Adrienne too. Sam wondered how Adrienne had been able to work though both his issues and Dean's without breaking down. Then he remembered that she had broken down, while they met, and that she had issued the explicit request to have them visit her one at a time. ' _That lady is one tough customer!_ ' he thought, while drying his face. He went to the library, where Dean and Jodie were chatting, and Cas was reading. Cas looked up from his book, before Sam even got a chance to cough. "I guess it's my turn now. I hope I will not be as long as either of you." he remarked, making Dean and Jodie jump, and without waiting for comments, he walked off. Sam looked at Dean and simultaniously, they shrugged, making Jodie snort with laughter.

Cas walked to the room on purpose. He thought flying in might upset the woman named Adrienne. Dean hadn't said much when he came back from his visit, but he had been watching Cas with an odd expression, whilst talking to Jodie about her girls. Just before Sam had returned, he had suddenly said in an honest voice: "Cas, buddy, I'm sorry." Which had struck Cas as sweet, yet odd. Dean hardly appologised, especially this sincerely. His reaction had therefore been a stunned silence. He entered the room, and watched Adrienne wrap her wings around protectively. "Don't be afraid, Adrienne. I'm..." She smiled from between her wings. "Castiël, or Cas, which you seem to prefer. You are not human... Your feelings are... Off." The smile faded and genuine fear took it's place. The feathers on her wings puffed up instinctively. Cas sat down on the edge of the bed, and stroked her right wing gently along the upper edge. "Shhhhh. Don't worry. I'm nothing evil." She shivered. "You too? You can see them too?" A sweet smile appeared on Cas' face. "Yes, as can Dean. That is why we came to you in the first place. How is it that you have these?" He kept on stroking the plumage softly and smoothed it automaticly. He'd done this so often for his siblings in Heaven, if they were hurt or upset, that it wasn't even a consious act. Adrienne's eyes grew wide. "Heaven? You mean to tell me there actually is a Heaven? Well, shoot! There go my beliefs!" Cas tilted his head quizzically, and she snorted. "I see what Dean means. You do look like a confused puppy!" Fingers combing through the feathers, Cas stayed on point. "You haven't answered my question. These wings... They are gorgeous, but you are no angel. What are you?" Adrienne sighed shakily. "I... I honestly don't know. You, and Sam and Dean... You are the first people to even see them, not even me. I thought I was getting crazy ideas. Now you... You are a... A real angel? Yet you hurt. So much! The guilt you feel... Gods! It's on par with Dean! Even the selfloathing. Cas... Didn't you know that part of having freedom of choice, or free will, is that you are allowed to make mistakes? And your friends, your true friends, they will forgive you, if you ask them to."

Cas blinked, and she smiled. "Your mind... It's so... Analytical, yet your feelings are pure. Are all angels like you?" Cas shook his head. "No. You should meet my big brother. I wonder what you will think of him." Adrienne nodded. "You truely love him. Your other siblings not so much, but him... Dean to your Sam? Really? Complicated..." Cas suddenly knew. "You are an empath! You feel what others feel, and you can ease their hurt by siphoning it through you." He tilted his head again, making Adrienne giggle a bit. "But that does not explain the wings. I have met several empaths. You're the first with wings. So I think we should start looking in the books." He tried to get up, but Adrienne grabbed his hands. "Shouldn't I at least try to help you?" Cas smiled. "Should you?" She frowned at him. "Of course! You hurt too. Maybe even more than a human, because so many things that humans have an automatic coping system for, are alien to you. You have never cried in relief, or from joy. Your mind analyses and thinks it an illogical response. Guess what, hot stuff, feelings are illogical." Cas felt his eyes start to fill up. He was puzzled. It felt good to know that he wasn't going crazy again. When Gabriel had woken up from his coma, Cas had wanted to cry, yet he had been so happy, relieved. He thought he was going crazy, because happiness meant laughter, not tears. He had been carrying that worry around for weeks! Just thinking about it made his eyes spill over. For the first time ever, Castiël, Angel of the Lord, cried of relief. Adrienne wrapped her arms and wings around him and let him cry himself out. Cas hiccupped. "Thank you, Adrienne. You'll be a great mother, one day." That comment made her gasp, and Cas tilted his head at her. "Oh no!!! What's the time? I need to get home for the kids!!! And I haven't finished my mail round!!!" Cas smiled. "You have children?" Adrienne looked at him, some of the panick fading. He was an angel, surely he could solve this. "Yeah, well... Not of my own. Technically they are my niece and nephew. My brother and his wife died a few years back. Car crash. So I took them in. Eleanor and Andrew are the sweetest kids, if a bit of a handfull at times." Cas put his hand on her shoulder. "I will take you home, and finish your work." She looked at him sceptical. "You know how to do that? Before four Pm?" Cas chuckled. "I am an Angel of the Lord... I do have certain advantages. I will excuse you with the others. Come." He tapped her forehead, and flew her home.


	23. Adrienne explained

When he had dropped Adrienne off at her home, and finished her mailround at angel speed, Cas landed back at the library. Dean and Sam were talking softly and seriously, Jodie read her book. Dean looked up at the sound of Cas' wings. "Hi there, Cas. You done being chewed out?" Cas smiled. "I guess you mean if I'm done talking to our guest? Yes I am. I had to take her home, by the way. She needed to go take care of her foster children. She sends her love." Dean's eyes widened. "Foster kids? Really? Wow. Did you get a chance to figure out what the Hell she is?" Cas sat down, amidst the questioning looks of the brothers and Jodie. "Not completely. I gathered she is an empath, but that does not explain the wings." More wingbeats and Gabriel popped up, just next to Cas. "It doesn't, because she is much, much more than just an empath. Hi guys!" The group jumped at his sudden appearance. "Gabey! You scared me!" Cas cried out, making Dean and Sam raise their eyebrows in surprise and Jodie gape at him. "Gabey? Who is this?" Dean chuckled. Sam threw him a bitchface and explained. "Jodie, this is Cas' big brother, Gabriel." Jodie blinked. "Gabriel? As in... Gabriel, the guy who told Mary that she was having God's baby?" Gabe winked at her and pointed at her to indicate she was right. "The one and only. Pleased to meet an honorary Winchester with boobs for once." Sam glared at him, but Jodie laughed. "Well, I can't say you are very bashful! I can't help but think how that talk with Mary went." Gabe shrugged. "It was quite the boring thing to do. I just showed up, announced who I was, and then said: "I know you've been a very good girl and all, but girl, you're preggers. Yes, it is conceivable. The Lord God did this to you. You are to have his Son. Good luck telling your fiancée." Then I went home. It was such a dull little task." Dean burst out laughing and Sam sat there, biting his lower lip with twinkling eyes. Castiël frowned. "I am sure that is not how it went." Gabe cocked an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me? Were you there? No, I was. I was the Messenger of God. I have to say that Joseph took it rather well. He only spent two nights at his folks. Once I showed him my wings, told him he was being an ass for not believing Mary and explained that the kid would need a Dad, he was whipped and crawled back." Sam had his head in his hand, shaking with silent laughter, while Dean hung back in his chair, gasping for breath. Jody wiped her eyes, laughing, but Cas just shook his head. "I am still surprised Dad made you the Messenger. You are quite crude sometimes." Gabe grinned and popped a sucker in his mouth. "What can I say, sometimes being crude is the best way to give an unbelievable message." Dean composed himself and, still a bit out of breath, asked Gabe: "You were saying our guest isn't just an empath? What then, why the wingspan?"

Gabe sighed. "I guess I have to tell you. She is what one might call an Earthangel. Her whole blueprint is human, except that her soul is made out of an angel." Confused stares all around, especially from Cas. "Once an angel gets killed, they are presented with a choice. Either live peacefully in a very special corner of Heaven, or go back and live life as a human. Certain angels still have tasks to preform, so they get a memory wipe and get booted back." Gabe looked at Cas. "Yes, I'm looking at you, kiddo. You have a very annoying habit of dying before your task is done. Could you quit that?" Cas hung his head. "Yes, Gabe." He sounded so much like a petulant child being scolded, that Dean felt sorry for him. Quickly he tried to get Gabe back on subject. "So all angels that decide to become human get a memory wipe too, but they get to keep the wings? I'd think we should have found one earlier." Gabe looked at him. "Nope. Most become human for real, but the ones deserving, the ones like Samandriël, who loved being protectors and guardians, they get to be Earthangels. There are just a few, and I am watching over them. These are my special charges. The idea of the Earthangel is that when they die, they really are to become angels again. The kind that mankind has made up. The protectors and guardians that preform minor miracles to make life that little bit more interesting. Until they die, they have the potential of growing wings, if they are able to live their lives in a certain way. They also develop certain skills, like the empathic power Adrienne displays. The Earthangel itself can sometimes start to feel the wings, but only people who meet very special requirements can see them." Dean pulled an are-you-freaking-kidding-me face, and Sam just looked resigned. "Of course Dean and Cas and I have to have this ability." he remarked, a bit bitterly. Gabriel glared at him. "Actually, you weren't supposed to have it. But you three have been bouncing around the worlds so much, that you do meet the standard by now." Dean sighed. "Why am I not surprised... What's that standard?" Gabe looked around the table. "You need to have been in both Heaven and Hell."


	24. Revelations

"You're joking, right?" Dean asked incredulously. "When have you been to Hell then? As far as I know, not many angels have." Gabe popped his sucker back in his mouth. ' _Great mother... Trust Dean-o to ask the impossible questions. How am I supposed to answer, without giving away Dad?_ ' He felt the eyes of everyone in the room stare at him. He popped the sucker back out and sighed. "Well, I had to, hadn't I? These were my new charges, I had to be able to identify them, so I made a round trip. Lemme just say it wasn't pleasant." Cas huffed a bit. "You are lucky though. Dean and I had to go there before Crowley took over. It was way worse then. And Sam, well, he was stuck in a cage with two bickering Archangels. I think of all the people qualified here, you got off the lightest." Both Winchesters looked uncomfortable at the mentioning of their time downstairs and Gabe was taken aback. He hadn't thought of it that way. "I'm sorry, Cassie. I didn't mean to bring back those memories. I am sorry, guys, believe me." He looked at them, amber eyes pleading. Dean was the first to respond. He blinked, squared his shoulders, and cleared his throat. "It's ok, Gabe. But tell me, Adrienne is at least our age, who looked after her before you took the task?" Gabe was starting to get frustrated and desperate at Dean's capability to ask just the right questions. ' _Are you serious?! Daad!! He is cornering me! What do I do?_' He ran his fingers through his hair. Suddenly a light filled the room, and when it dimmed, there was someone standing at the doorway. "I really don't believe it, Dean...Trust you to force my hand and have me reveal myself."

"Chuck?! Where the Hell have you been? And how did you get here?" Dean asked. Chuck smiled. "Actually, Dean, I have not been in Hell, but quite the opposite." Sam, Cas and Jodie looked stunned, but Gabe went and hugged the man. "Thank you, Dad! I was really getting desperate here." Chuck patted Gabe on the shoulder. "That's ok, son. I shouldn't have underestimated the boys." Cas stood up uncertainly. "Dad?" he asked with a tremor in his gravelly voice. "Dad?!" Chuck smiled at him. "Yes, Castiël. It's me." Dean held out a hand to stop Cas moving further towards Chuck. "Wait a minute... You're God?" Chuck turned to him and handed him a glowing object. Dean opened his hand to reveal his amulet. The one he had binned after that time Sam and him had talked to Joshua. "Yeah... Sorry." Dean had to jump in front of his best friend to prevent him rushing at Chuck. Cas' blue eyes were ice cold, and yet they shot sparks. "You... You... You left! You made me think you had gone forever!!! And all this time you were here? You knew everything?!" Dean struggled to keep Cas in check. "Cas, Cas! Buddy, come on. I'm sure your Father had a good reason to abandon you. To abandon us all." Dean locked his green eyes onto Cas' furious blue ones. "At least give him the chance to explain." Cas stopped struggling to get to his Father, but he still looked livid. "Fine. I will listen." He sat back down with his arms crossed and thunder brewing on his face. Dean turned back to Chuck. "I really have to agree with Cas here. A simple 'sorry' won't cut it. Have you hot any idea how broken up Cas was that you really were gone? He had lost every ounce of faith he had in Heaven. Basically, you made him fall, by being a Deadbeat."

Sam gasped. "Dean!!" but Chuck held up his hand to stop him. "It's ok, Sam. Dean is right. I never considered the feelings of my angels. I just wanted them to stop clinging to me for everything, and start making their own choises, like you humans did. I just wanted some peace and quiet, so I just up and left, not explaining anything. I guess I am a Deadbeat." He hung his head and walked towards Cas. "Castiël, son, I am so, so sorry. I should never have let you muddle on like that. I harmed you and your siblings more that anyone could imagine, and I should have stepped in years back." Cas looked at him and his brow unfurrowed a bit. "I have tried to lead Heaven, and failed miserably." Cas said, softly. "I have tried to lead angels, and failed again. I think I understand why you would want peace and quiet. Most of us are ill equipped to handle free will. It took me some time to get it right too. But I still find it hard to take that you left without explainations. I think I need some time to think about that." Chuck nodded, with a sad smile. "I understand Cas, I do. Thank you for listening." Cas looked at Dean, who stood next to him like a sentry, on guard and ready to spring into action. "Dean, I'm ok. I will not harm Father." Dean huffed. "I'm not here to protect him. I'm standing here to watch over you. If God loses his temper, you don't stand a chance." Cas smiled at him. "And you do? But thank you. I think I will retreat to my room now. Good night." With that he poofed off. Dean turned to Chuck, raising a finger threateningly. "I will check on him later. And I really hope he is ok then." He turned his back on Chuck and stalked off, leaving Sam, Gabe and Jodie to handle God.


	25. Family business

"Cas?" Gabe peeked around the door of Cas' room. Cas was sitting on his bed, shoulders hunched in his trenchcoat, hands in his lap. He sadly looked up and his big puppy eyes made Gabe's heart clench. "Gabey? Did you know? All the time?" Gabe sighed and sat down next to his brother. "I didn't. Not until Luci.... Not until I died." Cas smiled wryly. "Never gets any easier, does it?" Gabe eyed him questioningly. "What?" Cas stared, his eyes not seeing Gabe or his room, but far away memories. "Being betrayed by a loved one, talking about it." A tear escaped Cas' eye and rolled down his scruffy cheek. He blinked. "After you died... Did you see Dad straight away?" Gabe nodded. "So did you, bro. He just couldn't let you remember." Cas returned to staring at his hands, still lying in his lap. "So he did bring us back? Me and Dean and Sam that one time, when Luci broke free." Gabe stuck out his lower lip in a signature pout, while he considered that. "I don't know for certain, but yeah, I think it was. I was still in hiding then, remember?" Cas smiled a sad little smile. "Yeah... I remember. I also remember seeing you in that odd tv-reality you made. Why did you have to send me to that stupid show? What was it called?" Gabe sighed. "Kung fu. I thought you could use the fight practice." Cas scowled. "I nearly killed the main character. You could have warned me." Gabe looked awed. "Really? And you only got that scratch over your nose? I'm impressed!" Cas tilted his head at him. "And you zapped me off again, especially after I saw you. You knew I would warn Sam and Dean." Gabe nodded. "I did. I'm sorry little bro. I was a..." Cas finished it for him. "An apex douchenozzle?" Gabe chuckled. "You've been spending way too much time with Dean... Your language is deteriorating." Cas smiled, but sobered soon after. "I really hope you and Father are done lying to us. It does not make for solid family relations."

Gabe turned his sunshine-through-whiskey eyes on Cas' cerulean ones. "It doesn't, does it?" Cas shook his head. "I have spent years with the Winchesters. They seem to have invented lying to eachother. Wether it is to 'not have the other worry about him' or to 'keep him safe', they somehow seem to end up lying to one and other constantly. It nearly broke their bond. Several times. They somehow seem to be unable to really sever it, but they are unique in that way. I think that we should look at them for guidance on how to be a family again." Gabe looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious? If there is one dysfunctional family, it's the Winchesters!" Cas frowned. "You are not looking at them well enough. True, their upbringing was flawed, but it did make their bond, and that is neigh on indestructable. They will lie, go behind eachother's back and sometimes even try to break with eachother, but in the end, they will always be brothers." Gabe blinked "I guess I will have to look at them closer. I hadn't thought of it that way, Cassie." Cas sighed. "I know it isn't easy to see. Some would say they are dangerously co-dependant on eachother, like Zachariah and Michael, but that is how they live, and it is also why their bond is so strong. They know the other has their back." Cas looked at Gabe. "That is what I hope we can acheive too, Gabey. It will not be the same, but I hope we can be close as brothers once more." Gabe felt a lump rise in his throat. "I want that too Cassie. I want that too. I missed you so much, and just watching over you from a monitor isn't quite the same as being there for you. You don't know how hard it was to see my favorite baby brother struggling like that." Cas suddenly hugged his brother tight and Gabe could feel his shoulders heaving with his sobs. Patting Cas on his back, Gabe mumbled soft nonsens in his hair, switching to Enochian when Cas gave a trembling sigh.

Dean opened the door to Cas' room softly, not sure what he would find. He was hoping, almost praying, to find Cas in the trance like state he sometimes adapted since Purgatory. Cas called it 'his version of sleeping'. He claimed it calmed the mind and rested his body. Dean noticed that since Purgatory and Cas meeting the almost grownup daughter of Jimmy, Cas had started calling it his body, using the term 'vessel' less and less. A 'sleep' was just what Cas would need after the highly emotional reunion with his Father. What Dean hadn't expected was Cas, 'sleeping' with Gabriel holding him like a child cradled to his chest. Gabe turned his amber eyes on Dean and put a finger to his lips. "He's actually sleeping." Gabe whispered. "I put him under. He has much to process." Dean smiled. "Good on you, Gabe. We should let him sleep it off then, but your Father asked for you both. I think he might excuse Cas for this." Frowning a bit, he added: "I think it might even be less stressful for Cas this way." Gabe frowned at that. "You're kidding!" he whispered furiously. "What's Dad planning now? I hope he isn't going to use his magic squeegy to wipe this all again. I'm so done with that! It only causes more trouble in the long run!" Dean held up his hands placatingly. He was not going to get in an argument with a pissed off Archangel."I don't know, Gabe, but if he even so much as suggests it, I'm backing you up. Keeping important stuff like this from your family... Bad choice! I should know." His left hand unconsiously rubbed his right arm, just below the crook of his elbow. Cas moved, nuzzling into Gabe's chest, and Gabe and Dean froze. "I really don't want to wake him, Dean." Gabe whispered. Dean smiled at his best friend, looking so peaceful in sleep. "Me neither, Gabe. I'm going to ask Chuck what he wants us to do." He closed the door to Gabe muttering soothingly in Enochian to Cas.

"You're leaving?! Again?!" Gabe held Cas back. "Cassie, let him finish, please." Cas turned his oceanblue eyes on his brother and Gabe inwardly cringed at the pain and betrayal they showed. He knew Cas still had issues with their Father leaving the first time, so him announcing that he would do it again was salting the wounds. "Gabey! He's doing it all over again... He's leaving us to fend for ourselves, yet again..." Cas' voice had a desperate, pleading note to it and Gabe felt his heart break. "I know, Cassie, I know... But let him finish, he might have a real explaination for us this time." Gabe threw an angry look over his shoulder, right at their Father. Chuck sighed. "I'm not really leaving, Castiël. I'm going back to my safehaven up in Heaven. Gabriel knows how to contact me there. I'm just asking you to keep my identity and whereabouts secret." Cas never took his eyes of Gabe's face. "And you? What are you going to do?" Gabe switched his gaze between his Father and his brother. "I'm not going to leave you again, Cassie... I'll be at my new home, but here too. I have my charges, like Adrienne, but I won't drop off the radar. Never again, brother. I love you and these two muttonheads too much to ever desert you like that again. Pray to me, and I will get to you. Don't pray, I might still pop in." Gabe winked and Cas relaxed a bit. For the first time since Chuck announced his leaving, Cas turned to face his Father. "Allright then. If you feel you must... But don't take Gabey away from us again." Chuck smiled sadly. "I won't, Castiël. I never should have. It seems even I make mistakes, and this was one of the biggest." He turned to the Winchesters. "I know I shouldn't show favoritism, but you two are my dearest human children since Adam and Eve. Please, take care of eachother and my special angelchild." Dean nodded acceptance and Sam smiled. "Have we ever stopped doing that?" Chuck smiled back. "No, no you haven't. Contact Gabe if you really need me." And with that he was gone. Gabe sighed. "Well.... Now what, boys?" Stony silence ensued. Gabe smiled mischeivously and his amber eyes twinkled as he said: "I know... Who's up for a game of 'Nutcracker'?" Sam crossed his legs swiftly and Dean cringed. Gabriel laughed out loud. This would be the best. His brother and the Winchesters were on his team. Nothing could be better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it! Love from Holland.


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